HRM WINTER v5 spread

HRM

Historical Romance Magazine

Winter Issue 2020

Romantic Inspirational

As Chicago’s Great Fire

destroys their bookshop, Meg

and Sylvie Townsend make

a harrowing escape from

the flames with the help of

reporter Nate Pierce. But the

trouble doesn’t end there—

their father is committed to

an asylum after being accused

of murder, and they must

prove his innocence before the

asylum truly drives him mad.

Reads

Reunited with childhood

friend and lawyer Seth

Carpenter, recently widowed

Nancy Pritchard must search

through the pieces of her

loveless marriage for the

truth behind her husband’s

death after his schemes come

to light. But as she and

Seth pursue answers, their

attraction to each other creates

complications, and dark

secrets reveal themselves.

Contents

Winter 2020 Issue

Columns

Features

Letters 5

Falling in Love with Classics: Anya Seton 9

by Susannah Fullerton

Heyer's the Thing: My Favorite Heyer 16

by Jennifer Kloester

Gossip Column 27

by Caroline Warfield

A Brief History of Saint Valentine 8

by Michelle de Bruin

Historical Love Letters 13

by Laura Frantz

An Interview with Beverly Jenkins 20

by Patricia Walter-Fisher

The Romance Found in Beautiful Music 61

by Michelle de Bruin

Book Reviews 31

Historical Romance Journeys? 74

When a spunky photographer

wrangles her way onto an

1871 survey crew of the Grand

Canyon, she thinks nothing

can stand in her way. But her

mind changes when she finds

out she’ll be working alongside

the one man she doesn’t want

to fall in love with.

In the borderlands of 1770

West Virginia there is no place

for finer feelings. Charged

with keeping the peace with

local tribes, a hero of the

French and Indian War is

determined to stay free of

romantic entanglement—until

he meets a frontier maiden

who just might be able to

change his mind.

From Scratch HR Cooking: A Regency 56

Valentine's Day in the Kitchen

by Deb Marlowe

by Linda de Sosa

Short Story

A Warrior's Heart 65

by Rose Vane

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Available wherever books and ebooks are sold.

HRM

About us

Founder/Publisher - Charlotte Brothers

Creative Director/Lead Designer - Majken Ruppert

Contact us:


historicalromancemagazine.com

contact@historicalromancemagazine.com

Letters

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for your interest and support of this experiment, Historical Romance Magazine.

It is my hope that you will continue to enjoy the authors that made this issue and the last by pooling their talents and

participating. Please follow them and shop their books if you enjoy what they’ve offered you here.

It is entirely possible that HRM will re-launch in the future with the necessary roles filled, etc., but at this time I regretfully

have to write that we aren’t in a position to move forward as a paid subscription magazine. If you’d really like to

see HRM happen someday, please drop me an email or comment on social media. I’m reachable on Facebook at https://

www.facebook.com/historicalromancemagazine or https://www.facebook.com/charlottebrothersreadsandwrites/ or

contact me through the site email.

I’d like to thank my daughter Majken who is co-designer with me and sole layout artist. She’s made these issues as beautiful

as Renee and I could have hoped.

I have made many friends through this endeavor, and I sincerely hope that you’ll stay in touch.


P.O. Box 570

Parchment, MI 49004

Kind regards,

Charlotte B.

HRM Founder

P.S. You may notice Renee’s name is missing in the issue credits this time. She and are still

good friends but she asked to step away from her role as Editor-in-Chief of HRM to concentrate

on her writing and HRR. Many thanks to her for all she brought to HRM’s conception.

I recently held a Christmas card exchange in my reader group on Facebook – Tabetha’s

Teapot Tattlers. I’m an author, but also a fellow romance reader, so I started

thinking that a card exchange might be a good chance for the group to get to know

each other a little bit better. I had over thirty people give it a whirl from all over the

US, including a few from the UK, Canada, France, and New Zealand! I recently

asked everyone what they thought of it and the general consensus was – FUN! Not

only have they enjoyed getting the cards in the mail, but they also feel a deeper

friendship with everyone because of it. I have the feeling that as the Tabetha’s Teapot

Tattlers group grows, even more members will want to participate next year, making

this a new yearly tradition! Besides, isn’t celebrating others part of the spirit of

Christmas?

All rights reserved.

Do not reproduce without written permission from

publisher or contributor.

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Tabetha Waite

https://authortabethawaite.wixsite.com/romance

Join the group! Tabetha’s Teapot Tattlers is on Facebook.

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WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

SONNET 116

Let me not to the marriage of true

minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests, and is never

shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his

height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips

and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass

come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and

weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of

doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Falling in Love with Classics ...

By Susannah Fullerton

A Brief History of

Saint Valentine

By Michelle De Bruin

The Valentine’s Day we celebrate today is in commemoration

of Saint Valentine with roots stretching all the way back

to third-century Rome. Saint Valentine has an interesting story.

Historians have pieced this story together with what facts and lore

have survived down through the centuries. The best information

we have says that Valentine was a Christian priest in Rome. This

tidbit alone is quite fascinating because it tells us of his willingness

to take risks. In Rome during the third century, the Christian faith

was a relatively new religion and it posed a threatening competition

for the allegiances of Roman citizens. The ruling Caesar

expected and demanded the worship of the people. But as sectors

of the population converted to this new religion, worship of Caesar

alone could no longer be assumed. This caused great conflict on all

levels of society including the loosening adherence to the accepted

pagan religion, and shifts in politics.

Persecution broke out against the followers of this new religion

endangering their lives and destroying any security or respect

they may have previously enjoyed in the Roman Empire.

Valentine is said to have assisted Christians persecuted

under Claudius II. He also conducted weddings so that couples

converted to the Christian faith could enter into marriage according

to their own personal beliefs. Because of his involvement in

helping Christians escape persecution, Valentine was arrested and

imprisoned. He was eventually condemned to death as a result of

his attempts to convert the Caesar to Christianity.

The event of Valentine’s beheading occurred on February 14, 269.

About two hundred years later, February 14 was declared a day of

celebration in Valentine’s honor. This celebration continues today

as a reminder of Valentine’s courage and his belief in love. He is

considered to be the patron saint of lovers, engaged couples, and

happy marriages.

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Anya Seton

historical novelist

shop’s copy and opened it at random. Amazingly,

my subconscious mind must have known exactly

When I was in my teens I read my

where that kiss was, for there it was on the very

way through all the historical novels of American

first page I opened. I read it again with delight

writer Anya Seton. From them I learned a huge

and before too many more weeks had gone by,

amount of history, but I also learned about romance.

I had a favourite passage in Katherine,

I’d reread the whole novel.

her novel about Katherine Roet, mistress of John

of Gaunt, sister-in-law to Geoffrey Chaucer and

ancestress to many of the kings of England. The

piece I so loved came after Katherine’s marriage to

the clumsy, oafish squire, Sir Hugh Swynford. The

wedding ceremony in St Clement Danes in London

over, the couple walk out the church door to

be greeted by the Duke and Duchess of Lancaster

(John of Gaunt was Duke of Lancaster). The Duke

had been attracted to Katherine from the first

moment he saw her, and he is unhappy to see her

forcibly wed to this undeserving squire. “’You’ve

not kissed your wife, Swynford’, said the Duke

in a deep mocking voice. ‘It seems you need example.’”

Drawing Katherine into his arms he kisses

her slowly and deliberately and remarks that her

mouth tastes of honey. I felt it was the sexiest kiss

I had yet encountered in literature and like Katherine,

I almost swooned over it. For a long time, I

almost forgot this novel and it was thirty years later

that I saw a copy of it for sale at Kenilworth Castle

(where some of the novel is set). I picked up the

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Anya Seton was born Ann Seton in New

York in 1904. She wrote twelve historical novels or,

as she preferred to call them, ‘biographical novels’.

One I really loved was The Winthrop Woman, published

in 1958. Its heroine, Elizabeth Fones (usually

‘Bess’ in the novel), was the niece of Puritan

John Winthrop. She had three marriages, travelled

with her uncle and his family to the New World

and struggled to adapt her passionate nature to

the strict Protestant way of life. Bess is a wonderful

character and her story a fascinating one that

was well researched by Anya Seton. I learned much

from the book about early colonial life in America,

and again, through Bess’s relationship, I learned

about love and romance.

Child of two writers, it was probably inevitable

that Anya Seton was eager to put pen to paper

at a young age. Grace, her American mother wrote

travel books; her English father, Ernest Seton, was

a naturalist, artist and author of over fifty books.

They were wealthy and Anya Seton enjoyed a privileged

childhood with lots of travel – by the time

she was thirteen she had crossed the Atlantic eight

times. From an early age, she was a compulsive diary

writer, dwelling especially on her looks and on

her various sexual escapades. As a young wife and

mother, she wrote articles on home-making, and

then progressed to selling short stories to magazines.

She married twice and had three children.

Anya Seton’s first novel was My Theodosia,

published in 1941. It tells the story of Theodosia

Burr Alston, devoted daughter of Aaron Burr. This

was followed by Dragonwyck (1944) set on the

Hudson River in the 1840s (that novel was turned

"She loved the stories of women connected

to famous men, and wanted to give those

women a voice in her

fiction."

into a film starring Gene Tierney).

The Turquoise (1946) is

set in New Mexico, The Hearth

and Eagle (1948) was placed in

a fictional Massachusetts fishing

village, and Foxfire (1951) is

set in an Arizona ghost town and

was made into a movie starring

Jane Russell. Then followed

Katherine in 1954. It was branded

by some critics as “obscene and

evil” for its depiction of adulterous

lovers as good people. Seton’s

own well-publicised affairs

only added to the scandal of the

novel. Today we barely stop to

think about what shocked readers

of the 1950s and just enjoy

the avowal of old-fashioned love

between John and Katherine.

Then came The Mistletoe and

the Sword (1955), a book about

Roman Britain for children, The

Winthrop Woman (1958), Devil

Water (1962) dealing with the

Jacobite Rising of 1715, and Avalon

(1965), set in Anglo-Saxon

England. Green Darkness (1973)

begins with a young couple living

in the 1960s and then moves back

to their previous lives in Tudor

times, introducing the theme of

reincarnation. It was her most

popular book and remained on

the New York Times bestseller

list for six months. It was very atmospheric

and a moving love story.

Today it is possible to take a

Green Darkness tour around

Midhurst in England, seeing

wonderful historical buildings

such as Ightham Mote and

the Spread Eagle Inn. Seton’s

last novel was Smouldering

Fires (1975), about a young

French-Acadian girl. She

also published a biography of

Washington Irving in 1960 –

it’s the only one of her books

I’ve never read.

Anya Seton died, aged

86, from heart failure in 1990

and was buried in Connecticut.

Most of her books have

recently been republished,

with Forewords by historical

novelist Philippa Gregory,

who has stated “To read

Seton is to enter into another

time with such conviction

that it seems as real as the

present”. In a BBC ‘Big Read’

poll of most loved novels

that was conducted in 2003,

Katherine came in at position

number 95. It has never

been out of print. Historian

and novelist Alison Weir lists

Katherine as one of her favourite

historical novels ever

– perhaps she too loved that

kiss?

Anya Seton’s novels

played an important part in

bringing women into greater

prominence in history. She had discovered during She skilfully blends thorough research with excellent

narrative power, she gives her readers strong

her research that most historical texts left out the

women – it was men such as John of Gaunt and female characters, and she certainly set a standard

John Winthrop who mattered to historians, not the in literary kisses which one reader at least was

women who accompanied them on their journeys never able to forget!

and who bore their children. By focusing on female

protagonists, Anya Seton began to right the gender

balance, showing that women were not actually

absent from history and frequently played a vital

role. She loved the stories of women connected to

famous men, and wanted to give those women a

voice in her fiction. Most of her books were bestsellers

and helped to make publishers aware that

novels about women from history did prove popular,

paving the way for writers such as Philippa

Gregory today. Anya Seton was very careful with

her research, visited the locations in which she set

her stories, and she read widely so as to get a good

sense of the era.

I had enormous pleasure from reading this

historical novelist as a teenager, and have revisited

several of her books as an adult, again with much

enjoyment. Why not give Anya Seton’s novels a try?

Susannah Fullerton

President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, Literary

Lecturer, Tour Leader and author of Jane Austen and

Crime, A Dance with Jane Austen, Happily Ever After:

Celebrating Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Jane &

I: A Tale of Austen Addiction.

To subscribe to Susannah’s free monthly newsletter,

‘Notes from a Book Addict’, or to order any of her reading

guides or books, visit https://susannahfullerton.com.

au/newsletter/

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foundly than I thought even

could have touched me – my heart was full when you came

here today. Henceforward I am yours for everything.

It’s been said that love makes the world go

around. That timeworn adage is as true today as in past

centuries, especially with an internationally recognized

holiday devoted to love, and a month that revolves

around it. Blame it on St. Valentine, a historical hero.

Once upon a time in 270 A.D., there lived a priest who’d

been jailed by an evil emperor. Legend says that this

romantic man of the cloth fell in love with his jailer’s

daughter whom he had healed from blindness. Before

he was martyred on the 14th of February, he penned her

a letter, signing it “from your Valentine.” The rest is history!

Have you ever received a love letter? You know,

the handwritten kind penned in ink or even pencil, then

sealed in a stamped, old-fashioned envelope addressed to

you and you only? The kind that makes your heart hitch

even before you open it? Inside is the very essence of the

sender, the heart and soul of a person who pours out

their passion for you on paper.

Sadly, our electronic age has far removed us from

the art of letter writing, even rendering them antique. Yet

who among us who’ve received or written a love letter

have ever forgotten the emotion behind it? Or the occasion

it became?

Historical Love Letters

Aside from the St. Valentine legend, the oldest

known love letter is said to date from 1477, penned

by a young woman named Marjery Brews to her future

By Laura Frantz

love letters written and received across the centuries that

deserve a fresh look and may even inspire you to send

your own. Here are a few to sweeten your Valentine’s Day

(original spellings retained):

“…should I draw you a picture of my Heart, it

would be what I hope you still would Love; tho it containd

nothing New; the early possession you obtained

there; and the absolute power you have ever maintaind

over it; leaves not the smallest space unoccupied.”

—Abigail to John Adams, December 23rd 1782

“You engross my thoughts too intirely to allow

me to think of any thing else—you not only employ my

mind all day; but you intrude upon my sleep. I meet you

in every dream—and when I wake I cannot close my eyes

again for ruminating on your sweetness.”

—Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Schuyler, October

5th 1780

husband, John Pasten. This is

but one of a treasure trove of

“I hope to hold you in my arms before long,

when I shall lavish upon you a million kisses, burning as

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the equatorial sun”

—Napoleon to Josephine, Spring 1797

"Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal

Beloved, Be calm-love me-today-yesterday-what

tearful longings for you-you-you-my life-my all-farewell.

Oh continue to love me-never misjudge the most faithful

heart of your beloved. Ever thine. Ever mine. Ever ours."

—Beethoven to his “Immortal Beloved.”

"This should be a very easy letter to write — words

should come easily and in short it should be simple for

me to tell you how desperately happy I was to open the

paper and see the announcement of our engagement,

but somehow I can't possibly say all in a letter I should

like to. I love you, precious, with all my heart and to

know that you love me means my life. How often I have

thought about the immeasurable joy that will be ours

some day. How lucky our children will be to have a

mother like you..."

—George H. Bush to Barbara Bush

“You have touched me more profoundly than

I thought even you could have touched me – my heart

was full when you came here today. Henceforward I am

yours for everything.

—Elizabeth Barrett Browning to Robert Browning

“Dearest, I wish I had the gift of making rhymes, for methinks

there is poetry in my head and heart since I have

been in love with you. You are a Poem. Of what sort,

then? Epic? Mercy on me, no! A sonnet? No; for that is

too labored and artificial. You are a sort of sweet, simple,

gay, pathetic ballad, which Nature is singing, sometimes

with tears, sometimes with smiles, and sometimes with

intermingled smiles and tears.”

—Nathaniel Hawthorne to his wife, December 5th, 1839

“What it has been to me to live all these years in your

heart and companionship no phrases can convey…Time

passes swiftly but is it not joyous to see how great and

growing is the treasure we have gathered together.”

—Sir Winston Churchill to Clementine, his wife of 52

years

“We get old and get used to each other. We think

alike. We read each other’s minds. We know what the

other wants without. Sometimes we irritate each other a

little bit. Maybe sometimes take each other for granted.

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But once in awhile, like today, I meditate on it and realize

how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest

woman I ever met. You still fascinate me and inspire me.

You influence me for the better. You’re the object of my

desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence. I love you

very much.

—Johnny Cash to June Carter Cash

There are even love letters found in fiction. Perhaps

the best known and best loved is Captain Wentworth’s

impassioned missive to Anne Elliot in the aptly named,

19th-century novel, Persuasion:

“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak

to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce

my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am

too late, that such precious feelings are gone forever. I offer

myself to you again with a heart more your own than

when you almost broke it, eight and a half years ago.”

—Jane Austen

This Valentine’s Day, why not pen your own

valentine a love letter?

LAURA FRANTZ is a Christy

Award winner and the ECPA bestselling author

of eleven novels, including The Frontiersman’s

Daughter, Courting Morrow Little, The Colonel’s

Lady, The Lacemaker, and A Bound Heart. Learn

more at

www.laurafrantz.net.

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Heyer's the Thing

My Favorite Heyer

by Jennifer Kloester

fess that it is no easy task when so many are so good.

For a long time it was Cotillion with its four couples

moving through an intricately-woven plot echoing the

movements of the dance for which the novel is named.

The book features Freddy Standen: kind, amiable and,

perhaps surprisingly, one of my most beloved (along with

his father, Lord Legerwood) characters in all of Heyerdom.

My first reading of Cotillion was one of the first

times that Georgette Heyer made me laugh out loud. The

novel I have read over and over and for the longest time

it was my absolute favourite.

Of course, I hadn’t yet read Sylvester, with the priceless

Sir Nugent Fotherby and his tortuous encounter

with young Edmund and his ‘Button’. I’m grinning as I

write this. For a few years Sylvester was my favourite

and the book I would choose to take to a desert island

if I could only take one. The heroine, Phoebe, is such

a heartfelt, beautifully-drawn character and there’s so

much in Sylvester to move me. It

also has a delicious plotline based

on a real-life event. Heyer often

In her lifetime Georgette Heyer wrote fifty-five

novels. Of these, fifty-one are still in print and still read

and loved across the world. Her novels vary in both style

and genre and those for which she is most famous – the

Regencies and the Georgians – set the standard for many

of the modern Regency novels to come. Although Heyer

wrote a dozen detective novels and a handful of contemporary

books, she is best known for her historical fiction

which she excelled.

A question I am often asked by both Heyer- and non-

Heyer readers is “Which is your favourite Georgette

Heyer novel?” It’s an excellent question and one which,

in the hope of suggesting a book you might enjoy reading

over the holidays, I shall here attempt to answer.

My first Heyer was one of her most famous novels, These

Old Shades, and since its first publication in 1926 it has

found inspiration in the historical

realities of the Regency era and I

and in particular for

those novels set in the

eighteenth and nineteenth

centuries and at

remained a firm favourite across five generations

of readers. It was recommended to me

by the woman who ran the tiny YWCA library

in a remote town in the Papua New Guinea

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jungle. I had never heard of Georgette Heyer

but I took the book home and began reading.

Little did I know that that book would mark

the beginning of a remarkable love affair! I

loved the story of Léonie and Justin Alastair,

Duke of Avon, and in those years spent so

far from home I read their story many times

over. I also devoured every other Heyer

novel in the library and on every trip home

or R&R, I hunted the bookshops looking for

any Georgette Heyer books I hadn’t yet read.

I still have some of those original purchases

although many of them have fallen apart and

have had to be replaced with lovely new editions.

Over the years since then my favourite

has shifted and changed as I have read and

re-read my Heyer novels. I have often tried to

pinpoint my favourite Heyer but must con-

second time was reading the ending

of The Unknown Ajax and that

book soon became my new favourite

Heyer. To this day, I need only

to think of Lady Aurelia sweeping into the room and

declaring herself a ‘mere female’ to smile, and when I

recall the scene with Hugo and Polyphant and Claude,

prostrate and moaning on the couch, it always makes

me chuckle.

However, the ending of The Grand Sophy with its

Gothic manor house, oblivious poet, distracted Spaniard

and ducklings, also makes me laugh aloud as does

the scene when Sophy kidnaps sanctimonious Eugenia

Wraxton and drives her down St James’s Street past

the gentlemen’s clubs. It also has Augustus Fawnhope,

that beautiful young man with the face of an angel and

the brain of a pea-goose, and the capable and attractive

Lord Charlbury (excellent husband material). This is a

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suspect she very much enjoyed the story of Lady Caroline

Lamb’s scandalous first novel, Glenarvon, for she

put it to good use in Sylvester.

Heyer’s own personal favourite among her many novels

was Friday’s Child, It’s an understandable choice because

the plot is another of her clever, intricate creations

and the characters are superb. From the first scene,

where Sherry tries to woo the Incomparable, to the

last, where he finally finds his Hero, the novel is populated

with living, breathing people who remain with

the reader long after the book is finished. Among them

is Ferdy Fakenham, the man who would later inspired

Heyer’s creation of Freddy in Cotillion. Ferdy almost

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steals the show in Friday’s Child over his determination

to tell the hero about Nemesis, the goddess of retribution.

For those in the know, the Nemesis joke will always

provoke laughter.

Laughter is one of the hallmarks of the Georgette Heyer

reading experience and it has long been one of my

personal measures of how much I love her novels. And

yet, as I have grown older and changed and (perhaps)

acquired a little wisdom, her books also seem to have

grown and changed. Books of hers that I liked well

enough at first have now become more beloved and

better understood. This, I believe is one of the reasons

why Heyer’s novels endure. Her novels are not just witty

and entertaining, they also each contain enduring truths

about human nature. One book which I did not love

when I was younger, but which has now become one of

my all-time favourites, is A Civil Contract. Along with

Venetia (another favourite), I believe A Civil Contract

to be among Heyer’s greatest achievements. This quiet,

elegantly-written novel, is Heyer at her most thoughtful,

her most empathetic, her most perceptive. The

relationship between Jenny Chawleigh – intelligent,

pragmatic, loving – and Adam Deveril – kind, self-sacrificing,

steadfast – is deeply moving and I have grown

to love this book until it has become my favourite

among her many wonderful novels.

Of course, as I write this I am also thinking of Drusilla

in The Quiet Gentleman and how much I love her

steady evolution into the heroine of the piece. And of

Hester Theale, the unlikely but glorious heroine of

Sprig Muslin. Then there’s Arabella and the glorious

scene where Arabella entreats Mr Beaumaris

to save Jemmy the climbing-boy or Frederica when

Charis enters the ball-room in her homemade dress

and the Marquis of Alverstoke endures days of privation

at an inn in order to support the woman he loves

or Black Sheep with Miles Calverleigh and Dolly the

Dasher or The Foundling with the gormless Belinda

and the young Duke of Sale or Devil’s Cub when Mary shoots Vidal or

The Convenient Marriage with Horry’s stammer and her eyebrows. So

many wonderful stories, so many unforgettable characters. In the end, it’s

impossible to choose just one favourite Georgette Heyer novel because so

many of them are just so good. Their characters live for the reader, their

plots are compelling, the dialogue sings and sparkles, and there is joy and

comfort and pure satisfaction between the covers. And I haven’t even told

you about today’s favourite, The Talisman Ring…

Jennifer Kloester

Jenniferkloester.com

Jennifer Kloester is a novelist and Georgette Heyer's authorised

biographer. Her latest novel, Jane Austen's Ghost is a paranormal

contemporary romance with a Regency twist. It will be available

in November 2019.

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"Chatsworth House" Photo Credit: Chatsworth.org

Happily Ever After

An interview with Bestselling Author

BEVERLY JENKINS

by Patricia Walter-Fisher

We in Romancelandia know it’s the fulfilled

promise of every true romance novel. When hadn’t even been on her lifelist at all.

in our heads. But for Ms. Bev, becoming an author

we close the book and rejoice as another (fictional)

“I had no plans for being a writer,” she

couple finds their eternal bliss with their soulmate, shrugged. “This is sort of something I stumbled

many times, we’re reaching for the next great book into, because when I started writing, it was what I

by that same, amazing author.

called B.C., before children.”

For twenty-five years, Beverly Jenkins has

While her husband would play tennis after

repeatedly given her readers plenty of reasons to work, she would work at the library and read. As

smile. With her richly layered historicals to her

she read, she loved the stories, but it encouraged

contemporary women’s fiction and the sass of her her to write her own. For awhile, she played around

romantic suspense, Ms. Bev’s exquisite storytelling with a project, “just for me. Because in the (early)

not only gives us all reasons to grin, but to reach 80’s, mass market fiction wasn’t exactly open to

for her next project, again and again.

African-Americans writers. So, I’m writing this

Like all successful writers, her journey to story just for me.”

selling her first book, Night Song (1994) to Avon,

Remember Toni Morrison’s profound

came with a lot of rejections.

quote-If there’s a book you want to read, but it

“Let me tell you,” Ms. Bev chuckled as I had hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.

the privilege to interview her via Skype. “I have

Thankfully, Ms. Bev did just that. To simply

enough rejections to wallpaper my house. I have write the book, wasn’t the end of the story.

enough rejections to wallpaper your house.”

In the mid-eighties, a friend’s success

All authors have a stack of forms and

propelled Ms. Bev’s writing in a different direction.

personal rejections. The rite of passage so when While working at the Park Davis Pharmaceuticals

the first, beautiful book contract arrives, it’s a reminder

of why the craft of storytelling speaks to us, romance to a small publisher in Michigan. During

Library, a friend, Laverne, sold her first sweet

why we feel compelled to tell the stories that dance their celebration, Ms. Bev mentioned her own story

“At the time, I was just

writing for me. My goal

was to work in the library.

Books. Books.

Books. That was it.”

and Laverne encouraged her to bring it in.

Immediately, Ms. Bev was encouraged to

submit it for publication. A wonderful suggestion

for certain, but one problem remained.

“Where?” Ms. Bev answered. “At the time, I

was just writing for me. My goal was to work in the

library. Books. Books. Books. That was it.”

When friends see massive potential in those

they believe in, Laverne “harassed her everyday” to

get an agent.

Within a short period of time, she had representation,

but as much as agents can help clear

a path to publishers, the road to that first book

contract still had a lot of potholes.

“I can’t tell you how many rejections I got

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or how many Vivian (agent) didn’t tell me about.

They’d say, great writing, but…the but was they

had no box for it.”

sionate story of a schoolteacher, Cara Lee Henson

and Tenth Calvary Officer, Sargent Chase Jefferson,

who find healing, understanding, and forever love

in each other in a post-Civil War America.

Since that first publication, she’s penned

multiple historicals including The Old West series,

Women Who Dare series, and the Destiny trilogy

along with her contemporary Blessings series and

Deadly Sexy, her romantic suspense, that is now a

movie.

Despite the ever-increasing pile of “no’s”,

Ms. Bev kept writing, kept trying, even when the

odds of being published weren’t in her favor. “In

New York, in publishing, anything nineteenth

century that dealt with African Americans was

supposed to be about slavery. It wasn’t supposed

to be about free black people, living in a small

town in Kansas.”

But eventually, New York did listen.

On her late husband, Mike’s, birthday, Ellen

Edwards from Avon Books called and bought

her first manuscript, Night Song.

Set in Kansas in the 1860’s, it’s the pas-

stubborn, and passionate heroes with their own

troubled pasts as both hero and heroine believe

that love is the last thing they want or need.

But we, as readers, know better.

As Ms. Bev brings these two forces together,

our hearts can’t help but beat a bit faster with anticipation

while reading how she’ll pull off another

great match in a world of chaos.

Her characters keep her readers grabbing

the next book off the shelf or hitting that one-click

purchase button, but that’s not the only reason

she’s a consistent best-seller.

Her ability to pull history forward with

everything from the towns to the customs and

animals to the daily life of settlers, is seamlessly

woven within her pages.

Such a task doesn’t come easily as research

“As one of the first African-American

romance authors writing about African-

American characters, readers were new

to the history that hadn’t been traditionally

taught in school, [...]”

Her historical heroines have been everything

from teachers, doctors, outlaws, spies, mothers,

healers, and yes, former slaves.

All have collided with an equally strong,

can certainly discourage many to even attempt

writing a historical, but after working in a library

for many years, Ms. Bev knew exactly for which

books to reach.

One of her favorite resources for African-

American history, is by a former editor of Ebony

Magazine. “If you’re looking for general stuff, Before

the Mayflower by Lerome Bennett. You have

everything from the first African-Americans who

were brought to the coast and takes you through

colonial times. Talks about the African-American

contribution to the America Revolution and

through the Civil War.

“Some of the older editions have a great

timeline. He goes month by month. Year by year so

you get stuff like, all the African-American conventions

that were held in the eighteenth and nineteenth

centuries, a lot of women first. It’s an amazing,

amazing book.”

The book, We Are Your Sisters-Black

Women in the 19th Century by Dorothy A. Sterling,

helped with her early research. “It was sort of

my bible when I first started out. It has Women’s

contribution to the Underground Railroad, diary

excerpts, the first African-American female doctors

of the 19th century, suffragettes and the problems

they had with Elizabeth Cady (Stanton) and her

people. Amazing, amazing book.”

Black, Red, and Deadly: Black and Indian

Gunfighters of Indian Territory 1870-1907 by Arthur

T. Burton, inspired her outlaws like Ian Vance

in Night Hawk (2011) and Neil July in Something

Like Love (2009) .

Even the incredible research in The Black

West and Black Women of the West by William

Loren Katz, readers could certainly see Teresa July

from Wild Sweet Love (2009) or Regan Carmichael

in Tempest (2018).

The vivid imagery she paints, transports

readers to places far away and long ago, but she

does admit, there are times when the rabbit hole of

research can take her far off the beaten path. “You

can go down that rabbit hole and be there for days.

And forget why you’re there.”

One such incident included amphibians.

“I try to layer my stuff so you get the sense

of everything around you.” She laughed about

when she collected information for her book, Rebel

(2019). “Okay, so we’re in Louisiana with the story

and it’s nighttime and we hear these frogs. And I

think ‘what kind of frogs are in Louisiana?’ because

as a historical writer, I need to know.”

Rolling her eyes, Ms. Bev continues, “So the

next thing I know I’m looking at YouTube videos of

frog songs and all of this. I’m not going to use any

of this stuff!”

But the journey on frog information didn’t

come up completely dry. “But while I was down

to the amount of information

Ms. Bev includ-

there, I bumped

into this black guy

who had a circus in

the nineteenth century.

So then I’m off

on that tangent.”

How did the frogs

translate to the page in

Rebel? “I never did use any

frog sounds. I just had frogs

in the background.”

Then, as a writer of

historical romance, how much

information does she decide

to give? “I have to remind

myself I’m writing a romance,

not a history book. But when

I first started, I had a lot of

info dumps in my earlier books

because I thought it was necessary.”

As one of the first

African-American romance

authors writing about African-

American characters, readers

were new to the history that

hadn’t been traditionally

taught in school, but many

were incredibly receptive

ed. “People thanked

me for that, but now

I feel like I have

educated my readers

enough that

I don’t need

to give them

a history

lesson.”

Now reaching her fiftieth book, Ms. Bev has no desire to slow down or stop writing.

“My contemporary characters in all my (Blessings) books are descendants from all my

characters in my historicals, which was not something that was planned, but it sort of turned

out that way.” With her signature grin and rich laugh, she adds, “I’m having a great time!”

Ms. Jenkins is a USA TODAY best -

selling author and an NAACP Image Award nominee.

She has over 40 published novels and is the

2017 recipient of RWA’s Nora Robert’s Lifetime

Achievement Award. When she isn’t writing she

can be found gardening or watching QVC.

Check out her website here: https://www.beverlyjenkins.net/

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THE GOSSIP COLUMN

by Caroline Warfield

DUCHESS UNDER-

MINES

CIVILIZATION

by Jude Knight

ess herself.

Society, I say, but not the high

sticklers among them, and the

leader of those most determined

to hold the moral line against all

maternal grandmother was

Batavian.

From The Teatime Tattler,

October 12, 2019

26

As those who regularly read

The Teatime Tattler know, the

relationship between the Duchess

of S. and the Duchess of H.

mirrors that of their husbands:

to whit, it has always been, at

best, frosty.

Since the wards of the Duchess

of H. made their courtesy to

the Queen last year, even after

the Duchess of S. tried to have

them barred on account of their

irregular origins, any possibility

of rapprochement has become

encased in ice.

Today, in Hyde Park, half the

beau monde and a considerable

number of the lesser sort

witnessed the further cooling of

the connection.

Her Grace of H. was taking the

air with Captain and Mrs J.

R. and the children they have

claimed as their own. Society

has cautiously opened its doors

and its hearts to this unlikely

family, in part because of the

affection many have for the

gentleman’s father, and in part

through the offices of his powerful

allies, not least the duch-

possible sources of corruption

is, of course, the Duchess of S.

Today, dear readers, when

her carriage passed that of the

Duchess of H., Her Grace of S.

was staring at the trees on the

opposite side of the carriage.

Was it the cut direct? Not quite,

for she showed no awareness of

her fellow duchess before turning

her shoulder.

Even so, those close enough to

the carriage heard her say to her

companion, “One wishes to be

kind, of course, but some people

take kindness to the point of

gullibility. Mrs R. has adopted

her husband’s natural children

as her patroness also did. However,

I am reliably informed,

these are Hottentots, or as near

as makes no difference. It is an

outrage, and the Duke and I will

not tolerate it.”

Quite what the Duchess of S.

plans to do, she did not say.

Readers may wish to note that,

as The Teatime Tattler has been

informed, the three children in

question are not Hottentots,

but are quarter-breeds, as their

27

Jude Knight writes historical

fiction with a large helping of

romance, a splash of Regency,

and a twist of suspense. Mrs. R

and the children in this sketch

are from her book, Unkept

Promises.

A CROSS-EYED

SPINSTER

by Annabelle Anders

A Dispatch from our

undercover reporter,

Bellanna Banders

My Dearest Reader,

It’s come to this reporter’s attention

that the Viscount and

Viscountess of Hallowell’s eldest

daughter, Miss Olivia Redfield,

has come out of hiding so

that she may attend her sister’s

wedding to the Duke of Crawford’s

heir. This reporter has

not personally laid eyes upon

the young woman, but it is well

known that Miss Redfield was

born afflicted with one crossed

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eye, which, if the rumor is true,

is cursed!.Miss Redfield was

born afflicted with one crossed

eye, which, if the rumor is true,

signifies she is cursed!

Other ladies who attended the

prewedding ball said the girl

was seen lurking behind plants

near the ladies retiring room

and then later, hiding in the

garden with Lord Kingsley, who

has for years been betrothed to

Miss Victoria Shipley, currently

of London.

“She would be beautiful, of

course, but for her unsightly

eye. When she looked at me

with it, I confess I was terrified,”

Lady G of Brighten shared

her insights.

“What did she do to the earl

to keep him at her side for so

long? It has to be a curse, I say.

It must be.” This startling statement

was made by Lady Q.

Has the mysterious young

woman cast a spell on the already

claimed handsome Earl?

This reporter, who has been

invited to the nuptials, shall be

watching carefully.

From The Teatime Tattler, October

2, 2019

Annabelle Anders writes Regency

romance novels full of

life and heart. The much discussed

young woman in this

sketch is the heroine of The

Perfect Spinster.

THE DUKE NEEDS

A BRIDE

by Sherry Ewing

Could it be true? The answer

is yes, dear reader, and you

read it here first at the Teatime

Tattler.

Supposition has been verified

that none other than the Duke

of H is back on the market and

will once more be looking for a

bride after Lady R returned his

ring. The foolish girl. Doesn’t

she know the riches she has

given up by breaking off their

engagement?

This paper has it on the highest

authority that the young lady

has returned to the country in

a self-imposed exile. But the

question remains… Who will

the Duke choose as his bride?

Whoever she may be, we certainly

know he won’t be choosing

his last mistress, much to

her annoyance. Still… Inquiring

minds want to know.

Samuel Clemens read this latest

tidbit from the Danver sisters

and grinned. His readers will

go mad with the news that the

Duke of Hartford lost the lady

whom some have whispered

was a love match. Love… what a

silly emotion getting the better

of oneself.

His office door opened and

Samuel handed the parchment

to the young man whose ink

stained fingers implied he had

been busy in the press room.

“Make this a special edition,”

28

Samuel declared with a smirk.

“I want it on the front page and

not buried inside. Our readers

deserve to see this first thing

with their breakfast.”

“Yes, sir!”

Samuel watched the man leave

before leaning back in his chair.

A laugh escaped him. He loved

his job and was satisfied the

Teatime Tattler would be sold

out come morning. Tomorrow

was going to be a glorious day.

From The Teatime Tatter, June

22, 2019

Sherry Ewing writes historical

and time travel romances to

awaken the soul one heart at a

time. The Duke of Hartford is

the hero One Moment In Time:

A Family of Worth, Book Two

A TRAITRESS IN

THE TOWER?

by Virginia Heath

There have been numerous

reports of strange goings on

in the capital yesterday, after

a flotilla of Royal Navy gunships

sailed unexpectedly down

the Thames in broad daylight.

Despite petitioning the Admiralty

for an explanation for this

strange phenomenon during a

time of peace, this reporter has

been unsuccessful in procuring

an answer from anyone in authority.

In fact, the government

has remained very tight-lipped

on the matter, stating only that

the ships involved were on a

mission of the utmost secrecy

regarding a matter of national

security!

But fear not for your safety,

dear reader! These shores are

not under imminent threat of

invasion nor are our brave sailors

preparing for yet another

war. Our sources inside the

hallowed halls of Whitehall tell

us the naval escort was merely

a precautionary measure to

ensure one of England’s most

wanted criminals was brought

to town to face justice. The

excessive security was necessary

because the suspect has

managed to escape the clutches

of the authorities not once- but

twice- since their arrest on the

continent last week.

Witnesses also saw a prisoner

being taken into custody. But

whoever this nefarious scoundrel

is, they have been deemed

too dangerous for Newgate!

They were taken to the Tower

of London no less, through the

infamous Traitor’s Gate! And

if that detail isn’t scandalous

enough, it also appears this

fearsome traitor is a woman!

We wait with bated breath to

hear the lady’s identity and

the charges she has been held

on. All we can say, with any

certainty, is that whoever she

is, whatever she has done,

our sources say she will hang

for her crimes. Until then, an

additional battalion of Royal

Marines and the King’s finest

agents have been drafted in to

guard her. Even the Royal Navy

gunships remain anchored

next to the fortress to keep the

wench inside…

From The Teatime Tattler,

January 9, 2019

Virginia Heath, former history

teacher and enthusiastic tea

drinker, is a prolific writer of

Regency romance. The traitor

in question is from The Uncompromising

Lord Flint.

INTOLERABLE

by Rue Allyn

Dear Mr. Clemens,

It is my duty as an honest and

upright citizen to warn those

in Society that a pernicious

personage lives in their midst.

Miss M. P. C.–and I use that

term Miss lightly for she has the

morals of an alley cat–left her

home on the Welsh border in

shame. The licentious behaviour

that caused her removal

resulted in the death of both

her parents, dare I say from

grief that the daughter they had

raised so betrayed the values

and propriety they had tried to

instill.

When and how she made her

way to London, I know not. I

was appalled to discover that

Her Grace of H. had extended

her patronage to Miss M. P. C.

and found the young woman

a position as almoner at the

29

Benevolent Pauper’s Hospital

of the Apostles. Despite Her

Grace’s undoubted good character,

permitting a woman of

Miss M. P. C.’s dubious character

to fill the office of Almoner is

not to be tolerated.

An Almoner is a person tasked

with aiding the sick and injured

with financial and social concerns.

Such a person must be

above reproach, a thing Miss M.

P. C definitely is not.

I beg of you, Mr. Clemens, and

your readership. Use the authority

given you by the power

of the pen and initiate a campaign

to see this reprehensible

woman removed from her position

and transported from the

shores of England.

Yours, Mr. D. C., a very concerned

citizen

Our readers will note that The

Teatime Tattler has no knowledge

of Miss M. P. C. prior to

receiving this letter from Mr.

D. C. As every story has at least

two if not more versions, we

welcome information from additional

sources so that we may

provide our readers with the

most accurate details.

From The Teatime Tattler, October

19, 2019

Rue Allyn is the author of

contemporary, medieval, and

Regency novels. The characters

in this sketch appear in “My

One True Love,” one story in

Fire & Frost: a Bluestocking

Belles Collection.

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Caroline Warfield, gossipmonger and one of S. Clemens

assistant editors at the Teatime Tatter, writes Regency and early

Victorian novels from her desk in the urban wilds of Pennsylvania

when she isn’t busy with her editing duties. She truly believes

that love is worth the risk.

Caroline's website: https://www.carolinewarfield.com/

Explore the Teatime Tattler on the Bluestocking Belles website:

https://bluestockingbelles.net/category/teatime-tattler/

BOOK

REVIEWS

Book reviews include

Teacup Ratings (How much they liked it)

&

Heat Level (How hot it gets)

The scale is 1 -5

30

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Ancient & Medieval

Book Reviews

May Queen: May Day

(RoseScribe Media Inc., 2019)

By Laura A Barnes

Book Three, Holiday Knights

series.

184 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 1

Medieval

May Queen captures an interesting

time in history.

If you like Historical romance set

in medieval times you’ll find the

premise of May Queen interesting.

Sir Ricard is excited about

getting married. At last he has

found the perfect woman to wed

and has made an agreement with

her father, the Baron, which will

benefit both sides. Our story

opens with a switch of the brideto-be.

Instead of marrying the

Baron’s daughter he is to marry

his niece. A woman nothing like

the demure creature he had his

sights on. Ricard is suspicious of

the sudden change. Resenting the

lack of respect both for him and

his hospitality, especially when the

Baron dumps Flora on his doorstep,

and heads back home in the

middle of the night.

Flora isn’t planning on staying

around long enough to get married.

Her mother revealed on her

deathbed that Flora’s father is alive

and living in the woods outside Sir

Ricard’s castle among the Druids.

Desperate to meet him she devises

a plan to achieve that goal. She

tells many lies along the way and

runs to the forest often only to be

followed by Sir Ricard and dragged

back to the castle.

As I mentioned the storyline is

intriguing, but for me it fell apart

when the characters often acted

foolish. Sir Ricard has two younger

brothers who continually disrespect

his position as Lord of the

Manor. One brother has a definite

alcohol problem, while the other

is all brawn and no brains. Very

stereotypical. Some of the scenes

with the three brothers reminded

me more of immature teen boys

than mature knights. Sir Ricard’s

squire can’t keep his lord’s confidence,

continually running to tell

Ricard’s brothers every little thing

Sir Ricard says, or does that is

embarrassing. Flora lies so much I

found it hard to believe Sir Ricard

would even consider marrying her.

Her constant confusion regarding

whether to tell Ricard the truth

carried on too long.

There were times where the narrative

explained what was happening

instead of showing the action. A

few times the narrative explained

something that was repeated in

dialog making the narrative unnecessary.

Describing Flora as a raving

beauty is not only a cliché but a few

different gentlemen describe her

with those very words. I wondered

if there weren’t other acceptable

descriptions.

Both main characters do come

around to being better people in

the presence of the other which I

was glad to see. I enjoyed discovering

why Flora felt she had to lie to

achieve her goal helping me understand

her better. Sir Ricard, when

not with his brothers, was very

much the kind of knight women

hope to find between the pages of

a book.

Elizabeth Rose’s research of the

Druid culture is nicely portrayed

throughout the story. This is a time

in history that many things can

only be imagined. I appreciated the

way her imagination unfolded the

story. The mystery is solved in a believable

fashion and I found myself

glad that the two got their happily

ever after. Overall I enjoyed the

story. I give it 3 and a half stars.

Review provided by Sue E.

The Touch of Her Hand

(Amazon Digital Services, 2019)

By Rebecca Ruger

Book One, Highlander Heroes

series.

303 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 4

Medieval Scotland

“Do you promise, lass?”

When Tess Munro learned she

was to be betrothed, she never

dreamed the engagement would

derail fantastically at the hands of

the tall, dark, and brooding Conall

MacGregor. Long awaited revenge

drove Conall to abduct Tess from

beneath her father’s nose, a plan

fully realized. However, it soon

becomes clear Tess might not be

the one held captive…

In Book One of the Highlander

Heroes series, Rebecca Ruger

weaves a fascinating tale of family

strife, highland heroes both male

and female, and romance against

the backdrop of the 14th century

war for Scottish Independence.

The Touch of Her Hand almost has

the feel of the story of Hades and

Persephone from Greek Mythology,

but with the friendliness of

the Lore Olympus Webtoon comic

version where the broody man

falls head over heels for the sharp,

independent woman.

I must admit, I was skeptical at

the onset. I was worried Tess might

succumb to Stockholm Syndrome,

but instead immediately showed

me she’s made of stronger stuff.

What might have started out as

a revenge plot, quickly turns to

something else. Tess became my

instant favorite, to the point I

could see why Conall fell as he did.

Conall, too, proved himself a true

Highlander Hero, and I very much

enjoyed reading their flowering

romance.

At times, the pace slowed, but

never to the point I wanted to put

the book down. The supporting

characters were as well developed

and rounded as the main characters,

and I almost wish Serena got

her own book! When the realization

hit that I had reached the

end of the novel, I yearned to pick

up the next book. If you’re a fan

of Outlander and other romance

novels featuring strong Highland

warriors and the women that tame

them, Rebecca Ruger’s book is

worth the read!

Book Reviews

Review provided by Jenn G.

Ancient & Medieval

32

33

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Book Reviews

no explanation as to who these

ones that I would highly recommend.

Given the nonstop action and true

Overall Rating:

Book Reviews

Regency & Victorian

Whom Shall I Marry...

An Earl or a Duke?

(Independently Published, 2019)

By Laura A Barnes

Book Two, Tricking the Scoundrels

series.

196 pages.

Overall Rating:

characters are and why they should

interest the reader.

I disagree with what the author

thinks a prologue is. I feel a

prologue consists of information

pertinent to a story that happens

outside the storyline, and the prologue

in this book is an encounter

of debutante Sophia Turlington

and Alexander Langley, Duke of

Sheffield in a brothel where she is

masked and he thinks her to be

a new courtesan. This happens

concurrently and should just be

Chapter One. The story would be

better served with a prologue explaining

why Alexander is so bitter,

why Sophia is considered so sweet

or why they are enemies.

Later at a social function in the

ton, he does not recognize her as

the woman he wishes to make his

mistress even though he forces a

kiss on her when they encounter

each other in a dark garden. You

will need to have a significant

Review Provided by Norah Gibbons

What the Rake Remembers

(Amy Quinton, 2019)

By Amy Quinton

Book Four, Agents of Change

series.

mysteries that are slowly revealed,

the book is engrossing and hard to

put down.

The author has vivid descriptions

to help you visualize the actions.

While it does involve spies and

amnesia, these old cliches work

because of the creativity of the situations.

I also loved the dry wit that

was peppered throughout. Needless

to say, I heartily recommend

this book.

Review provided by Linda D.

Heat Level: 4

Regency

Sookoo wrapped many adventures

in the book, What a Wayward Lord

Needs, which is the second in the

series Lords of Happenstance. I

did not find it difficult not having

read the first book in the series so I

feel safe to say these are standalone

reads. Additionally this was my

first Sookoo book.

So much action and adventure took

place in this book, it will be hard to

describe without giving away too

much of the story. Danger, mystery,

and poisons (yes, poisons!)

are mixed with passion, love and

beauty. At every turn of the page,

something new and different was

happening. The unpredictability

was very refreshing. The charac-

historicals I have read.

Overall, What a Wayward Lord

Needs was a fast and fun read. It

is a little on the far fetched side

of truth, but I did not mind that

too much. The character development

and their personalities were

more than enough to make up

for the unrealistic side of the poison

angle. I do recommend this

book to other readers and am

glad to have been allowed to read

it for an honest review. I look

forward to reading more from

Sookoo if this book is similar in

style to her others.

Review provided by Kim Ham

Regency & Victorian

Heat Level: 3

Regency

Whom Shall I Marry… An Earl or

a Duke? by Laura A Barnes is the

second book in the authors selfpublished

regency series Tricking

the Scoundrels. The book is a novella

length enemies to lovers story.

I do think that it would be better

to read the first book in the series

because I hadn't before reading

this book and this one seemed to

start in the middle of a story with

willing suspension of disbelief to

accept that they are able to have an

ongoing sexual relationship in the

brothel and he never once suspects

that his masked beauty is Sophia

whom he frequently encounters

at parties and balls and, if he does

figure it out, will his love for the

mystery woman overcome his dislike

of her as herself?

I think the author is able to tell a

story that will keep you intrigued

enough to keep reading to see

what happens next and with some

polishing, her books could become

260 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 4

Regency, England

This was my first book by Amy

Quinton and I will admit that I immediately

purchased the first book

in this series as soon as I finished

What the Rake Remembers so I

could enjoy more of her writing.

Her endearing and well-developed

characters are brought to life so

that you care about their fates.

What a Wayward Lord

Needs

(New Independence Books,

2018)

by Sandra Sookoo

Book Two, Lords of Happenstance

series. 283 pages.

ters were well developed, scenes

very descriptive and the creativity

behind the story was amusing. A

delightful fun read indeed!

Probably my favorite memory from

reading this book was the fact that

the heroine, Cora, was the more

experienced character. Not to discount

Bentley, he was an adorable

character from the start. However,

the role reversal was a pleasant surprise.

A close second memory was

the sheer adventure that this story

gripped me with. It truly was a

unique story unlike so many other

Too Wicked to Woo

(Swift Romance Publishing,

2019)

By Tammy Andresen

Book Two, Chronicles of a Bluestocking

series.

150 pages.

34

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group of people who truly care for

Overall Rating:

cretly owns a hotel which provides

Book Reviews

Regency & Victorian

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 4

Tammy Andresen is a prolific author

of historical romance novels

written in England and Scotland.

She writes books that are easy to

read and engages the reader to

come back and enjoy some more.

This book is the start of the new

series Chronicles of a Bluestocking

and sets the stage for an enjoyable

ride.

Penny and her friends have decided

to write a book on demystifying

the rakes of the ton. In order

to gather information, they will

need to come into close proximity

with a rake. Penny has firsthand

knowledge of these creatures

as her father was one and the

experience was devastating. Wes

is an Earl who has fallen on hard

times. He had lived the life of a

rake filled with debauchery and is

now trying to dig himself out of

that hole. On their first interaction

together, he proposes a marriage

bargain and their story takes off.

The author does not keep the

reader waiting long, she sets the

stage with the characters and the

story to come within the first two

chapters. She has created characters

that are filled with likable

traits. There is an abundance of

dialog which keeps the pace of the

story flowing quickly. It is filled

with wit and humor and shows a

each other. The interactions between

Penny and Wes is emotional

and steamy without bordering on

erotic. Wes is a man who is fighting

hard to reclaim his dignity and that

is evident in both his words and

actions.

Earl of Dryden

(Swift Romance Publishing

Corp, 2019)

By Tammy Andresen

Book One, Chronicles of a Bluestocking

series.

Book Twelve, Wicked Earls' Club

series.

This story is a quick read which

will leave you wanting to read the

rest of the series to find out what

happens with the other two friends

and see how they find their happily

ever after.

Review provided by Suzette P.

125 pages.

Heat Level: 4

He gave her a voice, she gave him a

purpose.

The Earl of Dryden by Tammy Andresen

is a wonderful story about

redemptive love. Lord Fenton

Allstar, the Earl of Dryden, actually

appears in an earlier book called

My Duke’s Seduction as an opium

addict in need of rescuing. This

story begins years later with Fin

(Lord Fenton) seeking to improve

his tattered reputation through

marriage. Who will do? Beautiful

Miss Chloe Finch is widely thought

to be mute. When Fin discovers

her hiding at a ball, he is instantly

intrigued. “Behind the statue stood

a man. Not just any man. Tall,

dark, and broad, his hooded eyes

stared down at her with a dangerous

glint that made her shiver.”

Chloe carries a secret and thinks

she is unlovable. Though he is free

of opium, Fin still believes he is

untrustworthy and dangerous. Can

two flawed people find true love? I

loved that the characters aren’t perfect.

They are very relatable. This

is a spicy story with a heated sex

scene. My only negative - I wish it

had been longer. Great message of

redemption.

Review provided by Suzannah C.

Mrs. Sommersby's Second

Chance

(Harlequin Historical, 2019)

By Laurie Benson

Book Four, The Sommersby Brides

series.

288 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 2

Dedicated Regency readers will

recognize familiar tropes in Mrs.

Somersby’s Second Chance by Laurie

Benson. Lovers who are unsuited

due to age and social situation,

a meddling Dowager duchess, and

clumsy attempts at matchmaking

all play out against the backdrop

of Bath society. What will utterly

delight readers is the fresh take that

Benson crafts with these elements.

Rather than the customary experienced

man falling for the ingenue,

the heroine, Clara Somersby, is a

capable 45 year-old widow who se-

her secure income. Although she

is attracted to 37 year-old businessman,

Lane Williams, he is (in

Clara’s opinion) much too young

to engage in a romance with her so

she attempts to play matchmaker

and find him an eligible young

lady.

As Williams and Mrs. Somersby

take tea, flirt, and fall in love,

Benson showcases the real strength

of the regency genre -witty repartee.

The author reveals character

through delightful dialogue that

manages to be simultaneously

polite and intimate. Complicating

matters is Humphrey, Clara’s

irascible dog who constantly embarrasses

his mistress by humping

every leg or flowerpot he encounters.

It seems that Lane Williams

is the only person who can teach

Humphrey to behave as a proper

gentleman.

Each of these two mature characters

have secrets to keep. Clara

cannot let anyone know she is an

astute business owner. Lane, a successful

investor, feels compelled to

hide his past as an orphan raised

in The Foundling House for fear

that such a disreputable past will

cost him access to the social circles

where he conducts business. Regency

readers will have great fun

watching these two reveal their

deepest secrets and negotiate a

future partnership in business and

love.

Review provided by Colleen Thomas

Live and Let Spy

(Dragonblade Publishing,

Inc., 2018)

By Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Book One, The King's Rogues

series.

324 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 3

When a seaman turned sailor

meets a woman who reawakens

long dormant feelings, how can

he choose between love and

duty?

Imagine a rainy afternoon,

settled down on the couch with

a blanket, a warm drink, and

you’re ready to dive in. I discovered

author Elizabeth Ellen

Carter’s work with this book and

what a journey it was! It’s a tale

filled with adventure, mystery,

betrayal, and enduring love.

Regency & Victorian

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Book Reviews

This story is a second chance tale

with a youthful love from the

past serving as a bridge to bring

our lovers together.

The beginning of the book sets

up the background plot, showing

parts of the main characters’

lives prior to their first meeting,

and the events that lead up to

it. Adam, a naval petty officer

who has been denied his wellearned

promotion, finds himself

accepting work from a secret

agency (similar to a James Bond’s

intelligence department) as a spy.

Olivia, a governess between two

jobs, finds herself settling her late

employer’s affairs and stumbles

upon a mystery.

Both Adam and Olivia have lived

rather good lives up until this

point, two commoners who have

made their living by working

hard but satisfying jobs. Alas,

they meet now and it’s complicated.

Adam is not free to do as

he wants with his life. This new

assignment is too dangerous to

consider engaging in a relationship

more permanent than an affair.

Besides, Adam has loved and

lost. Olivia has no prospects at

all and very few options. Maybe

the risk she takes with Adam will

ultimately be the best of her limited

choices. But is she too quick

to give her heart?

It’s difficult to summarize the

extensive twists and turns the

author leads us through without

spoiling the spy plot, so I won’t.

I can say that this is a grand

adventure where both characters

are unwillingly entangled in a web

of deceit. Mrs Carter has brought

to life intriguing and engaging

characters. Neither are the sort to

run or crumble even when circumstances

put them to the test.

Adam and Olivia immediately felt

a pull drawing them together, and

even if they fight it, it seems fate

has a very specific path for them to

walk. Their banter and relationship

dynamics will keep you turning

pages.

If you love this story, you will not

want to miss the sequel, Father’s

Day (novella).Also, I was intrigued

and curious about secondary

protagonists, Ridgeway and Lady

Abigail, and thanks to the author’s

note, I now know their story is told

in Moonstone Obsession, and I will

have to read it one day.

Review provided by Elodie P.

The Lady's Lover

(Deb Marlowe, 2019)

By Deb Marlowe

Book Four, Half Moon House

series.

242 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 4

Three words…..BUY IT NOW!

This book has the perfect mix of

constant action, character development,

sexual tension, and even

humor at every turn. It is the last

book in Marlowe’s Half Moon

House series and it did NOT disappoint.

I was actually sad it ended.

The twists and turns are many and

mostly unexpected. Hestia, the heroine,

is a complicated character but

I instantly fell in love with her. She

is strong, feminine, and passionate.

Marlowe left me literally cheering

for her happily ever after. The

hero, Stoneacre, has his own set of

obstacles in life but not nearly as

complex. He is an adorable Lord

who is completely enamored with

Hestia. The chemistry between the

two creates all kinds of romantic

tension amid their work to take

down Marstoke. Their adventures

together are plentiful and they have

a wide range of emotions that left

me wanting to cancel my plans

for the day just so I could find out

what happens next. Perfect amount

of sexiness that was spicy but not

overdone. I look forward to reading

more from Deb Marlowe!

Review provided by Kim H.

Ella and the

Experiment

(Independently Published,

2018)

By Lisa Doughty

Book One, Ladies of Kent series.

218 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 4

In Ella and the Experiment, by

Lisa Doughty, the petite, plain, and

prim eponymous character has a

very rational plan, to determine

just how important to a successful

marriage physical chemistry

with one’s partner really is. You

see, Ella’s aunt and uncle have been

nagging her to catch a husband

before she’s too far on the shelf,

but, albeit out of character for most

19th century guardians, they keep

harping on this idea of attraction

being a fundamental consideration.

Ella is a literal genius who’s been

indulged in her intellectual ways

by her late father. Now that he has

passed, she is determined to find

a spouse whose business acumen

and trustworthiness can be

put toward managing her inheritance.

She values her guardians’

advice, though, and decides to do

a little research. As someone who

has never had a problem finding

answers in books, she borrows a

friend’s copy of the Kama Sutra to

uncover just what will be required

of her in the marriage bed. With

impeccable timing, the rakish Lord

Dexter St. Johns enters the library

seeking Ella out for assistance on

his latest invention, and an unlikely

deal is born. In exchange for her

assistance with his portable Gatling

gun invention, Dex will (oh so

willingly) participate in Ella’s premarital

experiment.

And so the sexy misadventures

in the countryside begin. Over

the course of a few weeks and in

convenient seclusion, Ella and

Dex learn more about each other,

beyond the carnal, and soon fall for

one another, though Ella is decidedly

skeptical that handsome playboy

Dex could ever be interested in

her. To his credit, Dex spends a lot

of time trying to convince Ella that

his desire is more than skin deep –

in fact, he very early realizes that

he wants to be the only contender

for the position of Ella’s husband.

As they return to reality via jealous

ladies, scheming scientists, and real-life

duties, Ella and Dex’s fragile

relationship is put to the test. Yet,

Book Reviews

they manage to persevere in the

wake of kidnappings, convalescence,

and a certain bespectacled

someone’s gigantic self-doubts.

Overall the story was an entertaining

one. For those who enjoy

nearly immediate immersion into

the sexy times, this book will be

your jam. The book would be

stronger for another close edit,

and if you are a person who is

annoyed when you find one or

two misspellings/instances of incorrect

usage, then this may not

be the book for you, as I noticed

quite a few. Despite that warning,

there is much to like about

the story. At first, I thought their

HEA was going to be too easily

achieved – boy and girl isolate

themselves and explore their

bodies until they realize they love

one another. But, this was not

the case. Though Dex often behaved

in an overbearing manner,

his character flaws were generally

balanced out by many scenes

in which he displays tenderness

and consideration, and I liked

that he was the first to fall in love

and persisted unwaveringly in

his quest to prove himself to Ella.

The subplot around developing

a working, portable Gatling

gun showcased some interesting

background research that

kept me engaged. I liked all of

the supporting characters, from

Dex’s machinist Robert, to his

best friend Devin, to Ella’s dear

aunt Lina, and I especially loved

to hate Dex’s nefarious com-

Regency & Victorian

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petitor Vanderguard. Ella as a

Heat Level: 3.5

realized that he would not survive

the fall. "But then it happened-an

Book Reviews

with a local girl, but James sees

Regency & Victorian

brilliant and sheltered mathematician

was refreshing, though

I wish her character had been

injected with enough self-confidence

to waver a few less times

in her belief that she is good

enough for Dex to want to marry.

Overall, I would be happy to

return to Doughty’s Gloucester

countryside to visit the happy

couple and see who else might

fall into the parson’s mousetrap (I

vote for Dex’s bestie, Devin!)

Review provided by Chris L.

A Gentleman for Judith

(SK Private Label Publications,

2019)

By Sahara Kelly

Book One, The Wednesday Club

series.

324 pages.

Overall rating:

“A Gentleman for Judith” by Sahara

Kelly was my first experience with

this author and I will be seeking

out her other series and more

books in this Wednesday Club

series.

A lovable older couple of the Ton

decides to hold a club competing

with Almack’s on Wednesday night

for the more interesting younger

members of Society who might not

have received the coveted Almack’s

vouchers. Judith meets Sir Ragnar

at the new club and sparks fly,

though not necessarily the right

kind as she beats him at piquet.

The book is intelligently written

with well-executed, subtle humor

throughout which is rare to find

in this genre. The characters, both

the primary couple and their circle

of friends, are well-developed and

engaging. There are enjoyable unexpected

plot twists, which I prefer

to the ones you can see happening

several chapters away. In addition,

it is pleasant to see an intelligent

female best intelligent men. I cannot

wait to start the next book in

the series!


40

Death Takes a Holiday

at Pemberley

(Meryton Press, 2019)

By Kelly Miller

242 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 2

England 1815

This is the second Pride & Prejudice

sequel I have read and I am

amazed at how engaged I was! It

was fresh and new, but with old

friends and a continuation of

Darcy and Elizabeth's married life

after their courtship. Now they are

settled at Pemberley and have a two

year-old son, Bennet.

There are two stories intertwined

that pulled this story together.

First, there’s a paranormal plot in

which the Angel of Death visits

Darcy and saves his life. As Darcy

was making his way home on the

road by a cliff, his horse reared and,

as he tumbled over the brink, he

astounding occurrence-as if time

had stopped. When he regained

consciousness he was standing

beside his horse!" The next day,

Graham appears and introduces

himself as the Angel of Death who

had stopped Darcy’s descent over

the cliff.

The author did an amazing job of

smoothly bringing in Graham, who

was to stay a fortnight on earth and

observe the interactions of Darcy

and his family. I know, right? But it

worked and I enjoyed it so much!

The second plot line has Lady

Catherine de Bourgh up to her

usual antics to separate (more like

devastate) the close relationship

between her nephew and his wife

of three years. Lady Catherine

comes to Pemberley and brings

with her a young lady, clearly a

seductress, to pull Darcy’s attention

away from Elizabeth. Yes, that

woman will go to any lengths.

Truthfully from the first page, I

was completely immersed in this

story. The writing and prose of

this author was so fluid, I could

visualize the scenes and characters

as if I were in a movie, watching it

happen! A delightful, mysterious,

ingenious plot and an amazing mix

of the supernatural with characters

who are so familiar and dear make

this a wonderful story not to be

missed!! I highly recommend this

book.

Review provided by Lori Dykes

Dare to Cross the Water

(Lavender Lass Books, 2019)

By Lorri Moulton

Book One, A Dare Romance

Series.

239 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 1

Dare to Cross the Water is the

sweet romance story of James

Spenser and Katherine Rogers.

Overall I liked the book, but I had

some issues with it.

It’s Scotland in 1849, and James

is working with his brother on

the world’s first railway ferry that

will cross over five miles of water

connecting two towns. He’s not

wealthy but works hard and puts

in extra hours hoping to get steady

work. His brother has fallen in love

41

love as a distraction and only wants

to concentrate on his job. One day

he is asked to take some papers

to the work site office and he sees

Katherine for the first time.

Katherine is the daughter of a

wealthy businessman who is overseeing

the railway ferry. She feels

very constricted by her mother’s

expectation that she soon must

marry an eligible man and start a

family. She has no interest in finding

a husband but dreams instead

of going to art school. She is in her

father’s office asking him to take

her to the docks so that she can

sketch when James comes into the

office with paperwork. They run

into each other again later that day

when he saves her from a snapped

cable.

She takes on the role of sprucing

up the promenades in the two

towns that will be connected by

the ferry. Her father asks James to

keep her safe and out of trouble

while she works on the project.

They quickly become friends as

they spend time together, and soon

deeper feelings develop on both

sides. They know they come from

two different worlds, and it will be

hard for them to be together.

I liked this book but didn’t love it.

The best part for me was the plot. I

loved seeing James and Katherine

work so well together on the project.

There were also some interest-

Regency & Victorian

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Book Reviews

So many rumors going around the

both?

Overall rating:

Book Reviews

ing side characters. However. I kept

village about the Viscount Simon

Regency & Victorian

wanting more as I was reading it;

more of their relationship, more

feelings between them, and more

for the ending. It felt a little rushed.

Overall I enjoyed their story and

would recommend it to those that

like sweet romances. I’d give it 3.5

stars.

Review provided by Emily Addis

Althorne. As rumors go, none

of them were correct. He wasn’t

raising his illegitimate child. Nor

was he a cruel monster. Just a man

trying to raise his niece on his own

because she manages to run off all

her governesses.

When Octavia Staunton arrives at

his doorstep, mere hours after his

last governess quit, inquiring about

the job with no real resume, what

is he to do but hire her? She won’t

last long. None of them do. But

Octavia needs the job to help her

family survive. What neither of

them anticipate is a mutual attrac-

Abigail

(Vagabond Publishing, 2019)

By Jess Heileman

I was pleasantly surprised by this

story! As a debut, indie author, Jess

Heileman does a wonderful job

bringing her characters to life and

I could easily picture the scenes as

they were unfolding. It often felt

like I was reading an adaptation of

Pride and Prejudice. I also enjoyed

the side characters, especially

Edwin’s sister Diana who was very

much on the side of the couple.

This quick and easy read will have

you cheering on Abigail and Edwin

all the way to the end.

Review provided by Amy Fisher

Heat Level: 1

Phillip Peartree, Duke of Bartlett,

dreamed of a peaceful life with a

suitable mate until a hunting accident

left him scarred and nearly

deaf. Resigned to spending the rest

of his days alone, Phillip has devoted

himself to rebuilding his family

estate. But a chance encounter with

a lovely young woman in a dusty

bookstore rekindles his almostforgotten

hopes and dreams.

Lady Amelia Partridge has no time

for the frivolity of the London so-

Lost in Lavender

(Dingbat Publishing, 2018)

Regency & Victorian

tion which can never be. Or can it?

349 pages.

cial scene. In addition to her work

By Patricia Kiyono

Overall rating:

with the Ladies Literary Society,

Book One, A Christmas Bouquet

Octavia and Simon are a good

she has a mission — educating

series.

match for each other. They have

some of the same interests and

Heat Level: 2

poor children in the city. She also

has a secret life; one she fears might

88 pages.

Overall rating:

have interesting conversations,

drive away the young duke who has

and they both love his niece (even

though she is a she-devil!). Their

If you are looking for a sweet

romance with old school regency

become increasingly important to

her.

Heat Level: 1

relationship develops at a good

flavor, then this book may be

From their first meeting until their

pace and isn’t too fast. They get

for you! Abigail Blaskeslee is the

last he is rescuing her from herself.

Selina Davison once enjoyed life

In the Viscount's Arms

(Fifty Forty Productions,

2019)

By Allyson Jeleyne

Book One, Staunton Sisters series.

268 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 4

This was my first book by Ms.

Jeleyne and I really enjoyed it.

to know each other, which doesn’t

always happen in books. Their one

obstacle is the disparity between

their stations in life. But love can

conquer all. I’m looking forward

to getting the second book in this

series and finding out about the

next sister.

Review provided by Theresa Baer

daughter of Lord Blakeslee. After

her mother dies, she confines herself

to her family’s country manor

but is brought back into society at

a house party at the home of Mr.

and Lady Stanton. Here Abigail

meets Edwin, handsome son of the

couple. Edwin has an unofficial

agreement to marry Abee’s cousin

Helena, while another suitor

pursues Abigail. With secrets on

both sides, can Edwin and Abigail

overcome the odds and find the

love that has thus far eluded them

The Partridge and the

Peartree

(Dingbat Publishing, 2019)

By Patricia Kiyono

Book One, The Partridge

Christmas Series.

60 pages.

They are a perfect match.

I loved this couple. This is a sweet

historical with a happy ending. The

heroine is loving, kind and a bit of

a mess. He is damaged and thinks

he will spend the rest of his life

without a partner.

If you are looking for a quick read,

with a satisfying story this is for

you. If you love Kirsten Osbourne

or Amelia Adams you will love

Patricia’s books.

Review provided by Deborah B.

as a countess, but when tragedy

struck, she learned to take care of

herself. Thanks to her skill creating

hats adorned with realistic

silk flowers, she’s built a successful

business as a milliner. When

a handsome gentleman stumbles

into her shop asking for directions,

she remembers and yearns

for the joy of having someone to

share life’s ups and downs.

As the second son of an earl,

James Benton could enjoy his so-

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write and give for her column. As

Book Reviews

cial privileges, but the concerns

they bicker, the reader can feel

soon enough for me. There are

Overall rating:

Regency & Victorian

of the gentry hold no interest for

him. He’s much happier to be

outdoors, tending to his plants,

which never judge him. His

peerage connections help him

secure the position as landscape

architect for the winter garden

in Highgate, but no one warned

him of how complicated the

personalities involved would

make the job.

A sweet, light Regency romance.

I loved this story.

It is a sweet, short Christmas

read with a delightful hero and

heroine. They are both lost souls

in search of meaning for their

lives. They find their life’s work

and love ever after.

Review provided by Deborah B.

Patience for Christmas

(Forever Yours, 2018)

By Grace Borrowes

113 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 3.5

Someday, Dougal wanted her to

look at him the way she regarded

that last half crumpet.

A standalone Christmas novella

that features a Scottish publisher

named Dougal and his advice

columnist named Patience. They

are friends of the families MacHugh

and Windham and frequent

readers of Burrowes will delight

in recognizing some secondary

characters.

Patience and Dougal start off with

a bit of a contentious relationship

as they argue over which letters

and what advice Patience should

the underlying tension and emotions

bubbling under the surface.

They are forced to spend more

time together to produce special

editions as Patience engages in a

written word battle with a rival advice

columnist Prof. Pennypacker.

Surrounding all this lovely tension

is a wonderful holiday feel, from

snowflakes, to holiday treats, and

the ever trouble making mistletoe.

For a shorter holiday read, the

emotions never felt rushed but

there was a lying-by-omission

angst plot that felt a little rushed at

the end. Secondary characters enriched

the story while Patience and

Dougal were whole characters that

made me care about them individually,

thus, investing me in their

romance. Overall, this was a sweet

holiday novella with snowy nights,

heated discussions over such things

as placements of commas, a tender

heartfelt letter, and lurking mistletoe.

Review provided by Kimberly C.

For the Brave

(Holly Bush Books, 2017)

By Holly Bush

Book Two, The Gentrys of Paradise

series.

230 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 4

“For the Brave” is book two in The

Gentrys of Paradise series by Holly

Bush. I thoroughly enjoyed the first

book in the series, “Into the Evermore”,

so I was looking forward to

reading this book, but it fell a bit

short. I found the pace of the story

to be a bit slow for my liking and

there were moments when I realized

I was wanting to skim through

it. In my opinion, Annie Campbell

and Matt Gentry felt more like

a brother and sister interacting

than two people moving towards a

romantic relationship. I guess the

romantic tension just didn’t start

several steamy sex scenes that

just didn’t feel believable, and

some editing problems that

hindered my flow of reading.

I did enjoy the scenes with

the Gentry family. Eleanor the

heroine in the first book makes

her appearance as the matriarch

of the family. She rules

her family with a loving hand.

Overall, it was okay - a fairly

good storyline, but lacking the

romantic tension I look for in

a historical romance.

Review provided by S. Clark

Marisol ~ Spanish

Rose

(Wild Heart Books, 2019)

By Elva Cobb Martin

Book One, Charleston Brides

series.

261 pages.

Heat Level: 4

Marisol starts out as a bit of a

tragic story. Forced to flee her

home after killing a nobleman

in self-defense, Marisol’s luck

just keeps getting worse. Captured

and forced into the slave

trade as an indentured servant,

Marisol has no idea how her

life will change after English

privateers capture the Spanish

ship she is being transported on.

The Captain of the ship, Ethan

Becket, is in for quite a surprise

as he learns about Marisol’s past.

She slowly thaws his heart and

he learns to love again.

Marisol: Spanish Rose had all

the aspects of a great historical

fiction adventure. High seas

adventure - check. Dashing

historical figures and lively,

memorable places - check. The

one thing it was missing was the

romance. I feel like Marisol and

Ethan just didn’t spend any time

together at all and suddenly they

were in love. I understand that

time passed off the pages, but

without being able to see their

relationship grow and build over

time, it almost seemed like it

wasn’t there. Each character was

very well developed and I loved

them both, but as a couple, they

just weren’t there.

The drama, adventure, and

excitement were definitely

New Frontiers

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New Frontiers

Book Reviews

there. The scenes on the ships were

beautifully written and things were

presented in a way that I understood,

even though I know nothing

about ships. I would have liked to

learn more about some of the side

characters, but perhaps they develop

as the series goes along. They

all seemed to be very interesting,

and I wanted to know more.

Review provided by Jasmyn N.

Ride the High Lonesome

(Sourcebooks Casablanca,

2019)

By Rosanne Bittner

Book One, Outlaw Trail series.

320 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 5

Bittner is a master storyteller; a

grand mistress of powerful, gritty,

realistic Western romances. She

adds to her repertoire with the debut

of the Men of the Outlaw Trail,

an epic tale that’s deeply atmospheric,

emotionally intense and

filled with high adventure. Though

she explores the darker side of the

Old West, Bittner maintains the

belief that love can be found in

the darkest of times and peace can

grow from chaos. Her fans know

what they desire and she gives it

to them in spades: history, heated

sensuality and enduring love.

When her wagon train in attacked,

Kate Winters is left on her own in

outlaw territory. Somehow she

manages to survive the brutal terrain

and avoid the roaming bands

of outlaws until she spies a gang of

rustlers hanging a cowboy. This is

her opportunity to grab the dead

man’s horse and ride away. Suddenly,

Kate realizes Luke Bowden

isn’t dead and she cuts him down.

Though he’s bent on revenge, Luke

vows to help Kate reach civilization.

While he goes off to find the

men who stole his cattle, Luke

leaves Kate in a cave where she

should be safe. Unfortunately, she’s

fair game for a ruthless criminal.

Kate is forced to use the gun Luke

left to kill her attacker since she

begins to fear Luke won’t return.

When he does come back, Luke

realizes Kate is shocked by what

she had to do, but he’s impressed by

her courage and resolve. The trials

46

they have faced and will face as

they make their way to town enable

their relationship to grow. Kate

realizes Luke is an honorable and

protective man worthy of her trust

and love. To Luke, Kate is the kind

of strong woman he could spend

his life loving, but can he give up

his quest for vengeance for the sake

of love? (Sourcebooks, Nov.)

Review provided by Kathe Robin

Blinded by Grace

(Prarie Rose Publications,

2019)

By Becky Lower

Book Five, Cotillion Ball Saga

series.

214 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 3

Blinded by Grace is set in historical

New York City society. Grace and

Halwyn set up a sham marriage

to subvert the plans of her evil

stepfather. Of course, along the

way, they fall in love. The author

has developed the characters nicely

and the story keeps you on the

edge of your seat as they face trials

and tribulations. The book can be

read as a stand-alone but is part

of her Cotillion Ball Saga series. I

enjoyed it enough to seek out the

other titles.


For the Brave

by Holly Bush

Book Reviews

Matthew Gentry leaves his Virginia home for the fields

of Gettysburg. At war’s end, he nearly loses his life in a

spring-flooded riverbed. Annie Campbell farms a remote

property on the river’s edge, raising pigs and trying to

grow enough to survive. Her secrets threaten her safety,

even as she rescues and nurses Matthew Gentry.

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Book Reviews

Platte, a group of local ladies have

Book Reviews

Gilded Age & World Wars

The Whistle Stop

Canteen

(49 West Publishing, 2019)

By Barb Warner Deane

278 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 1

“That’s a woman’s lot in war. We

wait for news: good news, bad

news, any news. We just wait and

pray.” Such is a woman’s lot in war

and a reader’s lot in The Whistle

Stop Canteen by Barb Warner

Deane. This novel requires quite a

bit of waiting but, to the patient, is

as sweet as a popcorn ball.

If you’re looking for a smooth ride

on the historical romance train, get

your ticket here! Warner Deane’s

Whistle Stop Canteen is the world’s

most tranquil World War II romance.

In the little town of North

established the Whistle Stop Canteen

– an eatery and soldier-support

unit at the local train station.

When the train stops, soldiers

rush in and gratefully receive free

food and, from our heroine, free

reading material.

Maggie Parker, canteen historian,

is a level-headed woman with a

heart ready to support soldiers in

need. Some may find her head too

level, as few things seem to thrill

or vex this spinster librarian. That

is, until Captain Tom Carter visits

the Canteen and stirs Maggie up

like a milkshake. Tom is unpredictable,

unrelenting, and totally

unwilling to take a hint. In spite

of Maggie’s reluctance, the two

become war torn pen pals, falling

in love over paper and pen.

That’s where the waiting comes in.

The romance is sparse – the historical

facts many. A reader’s tolerance

for this narration depends

entirely on his or her reading preferences.

If you like an emotional

roller coaster with intense relationship

development…you may

want to try another canteen. But,

if you like a quiet town in an accurately

conveyed time period, get

your basket of 1940’s goodies and

soldier’s rations and head down

to the Whistle Stop! You’ll feel

just like a warm-hearted, sockknitting,

all-American participant

in the second World War.

Warner Deane’s details – which

could, arguably, be decreased to a

‘need-to know basis’ – place readers

in a soothing time warp as you

watch Maggie Parker make friends,

help others, and fall in love. The

Whistle Stop Canteen is a novel of

buttermilk smiles, postcard characters,

and minor complications.

Review provded by Ash V.

Bitten by the Earl

(Blue Tulip Publishing,

2019)

By Sandra Sookoo

Book Two, Lords of the

Night series.

487 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 4

“Bitten by the Earl” is a

regency-era romance about

lords with an ancient curse

that causes different paranormal

afflictions like vampire-ism

or shape-shifting.

The writing is vivid and the

characters nicely developed.

The female protagonist,

Elizabeth, is forced to confront

her beliefs about what

evil truly is, whether it is

what we traditionally define

as evil or if it is the heart of

the person. That conflict is

an interesting concept and creates

tension.

While the book is an enjoyable

read, in my opinion, there were

several weak plot links that

distracted me from full enjoyment.

That being said, I still

look forward to other books in

the series.


Supernatural & Time Travel

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Book Reviews

Matthew turns up missing and

living in the village, she befriends a

Almost Home by Valerie Fra-

Book Reviews

is presumed dead Heather must

little girl, Leatrice. Leatrice is there

ser Luesse is a magical book that

Inspirational

keep everything running smoothly

despite facing the awful truth that

Matthew is gone.

This is a wonderfully written captivating

romantic read set before

the onset of the American Revolution.

The story moves tactfully yet

gracefully never getting bogged

down with too much religion or

politics. Yes, both play a part but

it is not central to the story which

even if the reader does not like the

to learn to read, and her widowed

father is living nearby with a crazy

woman who had married Leatrice's

grandfather. This woman is a

threat to Leatrice's well being. It's a

fascinating story all the way to the

end, which is a happy one. A good,

sweet romance! Great story!

Review provided by Paula J.

captures the essence and charm

of the South. At times, the story

seemed so familiar that I felt like I

was reading about my own memories

of Southern life. Luesse spins

an intriguing tale of a woman who

opens her Alabama home as a

boarding house during World War

II. The odd assortment of people

who seek shelter there are ultimately

changed by their hostess’s love

and endearing charm.

Inspirational

content will find something truly

I thought it was very well written.

A Heart for Freedom

(Lighthouse Publishing of the

Carolinas, 2018)

By Janet Grunst

Book Two, A Heart Set Free series.

279 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 2

Matthew Stewart is just a farmer

and an ordinary trying to live a

peaceful Christian life. Matthew

is newly married to Heather with

his children from his previous

marriage and a baby on the way;

he is just trying to keep his family

together. Unfortunately, the state of

the world is not so easy and is on

the brink of war. When Matthew

is asked to help the Patriot’s, he’s

reluctant to take part because he’s

trying to stay neutral. Still Matthew

can’t ignore what’s going on

around him while keeping everything

secret from Heather. When

likable in this story. This might be

the second book in the series and

it might be a good idea to read the

first one just for more background

into the characters but it really isn’t

necessary to understand the novel.

The author pays great attention to

detail with well researched facts but

the book is still amazingly real and

visually spectacular in scope. The

characters are even well-developed

and seem true to life. Matthew,

the shy soft-spoken hero is truly a

great guy; while Heather is a strong

courageous woman making for a

fantastic couple to emulate. This

is a series that readers will enjoy

reading despite being during the

revolution.

Review provided by Roslynn Ernst

The Refuge

(Fleming H. Revell Company

2019)

By Ann H. Gabhart

391 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 1

The Refuge is a good story about a

young woman named Darcie and

her husband, Walter, who take refuge

in a Shaker village temporarily.

The Shakers have many rules that

take some getting used to, particularly

the rule about marriage.

They don't recognize marriages

at all. A terrible accident occurs

and Walter is killed. Darcie, now a

widow, is expecting their first child.

The story follows her pregnancy

and the birth of their daughter. The

Shaker village intends to separate

mother from child, and Darcie has

to figure out a way to leave the village

and make it on her own. While

Almost Home

(Fleming H. Revell Company

2019)

By Valerie Fraser Luesse

336 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 1

A magical story that brought back

sweet memories of childhood in

the South.

Luesse’s characters are varied and

complex enough to captivate. Even

though this is a rather long book,

the story moves at a good pace. I

had a difficult time putting it down.

There are several delightfully sweet

romances woven together. “As

Anna’s tears subsided, Jesse’s hands

were no longer comforting but reclaiming.

The waters of the slough

reflected a kiss, long and deep

before Jesse carried Anna to her

mother’s quilt and the two of them

let the tall pines drink in their

kisses and sighs and whispers.”

Almost Home is a delightful book

with a great cast of characters. I am

looking forward to reading more

by Luesse in the future.

Review provided by S. Clark

Secrets & Charades

(Smitten Historical Romance,

2017)

By Cindy Ervin Huff

310 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 1.5

Christian romance, Funny, and

a suspenseful twist on the mailorder-bride-type

of tales.

Evangeline Felicity Olson: a doctor

in Missouri, gets into a marriage

of convenience after her niece,

Maggie, responds on her aunt’s

behalf to a matrimonial ad from

Jake Marcum, a rancher in Texas.

After reading the letters sent by the

rancher to her niece posing as her,

Evangeline prays a lot and decides

to marry the rancher.

Jake Marcum: a rancher in Texas

needs a wife to look after his tomboyish,

12-year-old niece, Juliet, for

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Book Reviews

moments. Surprises and twists

is brought up too many times. If

Book Reviews

Inspirational

whom he cares.

When Evangeline meets the

rancher, will her sharp tongue and

speak-her-mind ways chase the

rancher away or will his easy-going

nature take it all in stride?

Secrets and Charades by Cindy

Ervin Huff is a Christian romance

novel with a lot of heart. I read it

using Audible and enjoyed it very

much. There were plenty of twists

and turns which kept me guessing

as to what would happen next

throughout the novel. I’d like to

read more by this author.

Finding Lady Enderly is not your

typical romance.

It starts as a sort of rags to riches

story, with Raina being swept up

like Cinderella to the ball, her rags

turned to silk and suddenly she’s

the Lady. But it isn’t all diamonds

and fancy dresses. Her new life

is a lie, and it weighs heavily on

her shoulders. Her struggle wasn’t

just with God and her spirituality,

it was with her understanding of

morality, what she felt was the right

thing to do.

The romance of the novel is a little

on what I thought was going to

happen. In many ways, these were

amazing, but I did feel a little

cheated on my happily ever after -

it didn’t happen soon enough, and

the author made us wait until the

very, very end. The story ends in

a way that vividly reminds me of

the classics referenced in this story,

with a settled and deliberate feel to

it, but heartwarming and satisfying

in its own way.

Review provided by Jasmyn N.

Can Isabelle find a bridge to the

future?

Benjamin Booker is a young lawyer

who is embarrassed by a case that

went badly. To get away from the

scandal, his boss Mr. Hardy send

him to Belle Island (a small island

in the Thames) to investigate Miss

Isabelle Wilder and her possible

connection to the death of her

Uncle Percival. Percival is a former

law partner of Mr. Hardy's firm.

He has handled the trust for Miss

Wilder in a particularly stingy way.

It is 1819, so women often had to

deal with men running their lives,

you like sweet historical romance

fiction, this is the book for you.

Review provided by Roberta Austin

more out of it if they read the first

two books first.

Thea Michner is a midwife still

mourning her murdered husband

and stillborn child. To escape the

loneliness, despair, and reminders

of the family she has lost, she is

leaving the town of Ladreville and

moves her practice to Cimarron

Creek where she meets the other

protagonist, Jackson Guthrie.

Jackson Guthrie is a Texas Ranger

who has been assigned to investigate

Thea because he believes she

Inspirational

Review provided by Greta P.

more subtle, as it draws heavily

on the love of Raina’s life, lost to

even if the women were smart and

capable. Benjamin admires Miss

is part of The Gang of Four who

has been robbing wealthy travelers

her in the past. But he is no longer

Wilder, but can she be trusted or

and hijacking army payrolls. He

there to rescue her from her pre-

does wine from the island that poi-

is personally invested in this case

dicaments, and she finds that she

soned her uncle make her a prime

because his younger brother Micah

needs to play the part of rescuer

suspect?

was killed by this gang. He is get-

instead. Every day she spends as

Lady Enderly pulls her further into

danger and deceit.

There are so many amazing romantic

gestures that made my heart

swoon. Communicating to your

love by marking lines of text in

Isabelle claims she is innocent

because she has not left the island

in ten years. There is a superstition

that she believes that anyone who

leaves the island will die in some

horrible accident. As the police,

Benjamin and others do further

A Tender Hope

(Revell, 2019)

By Amanda Cabot

Book Three, Cimarron Creek

Trilogy series.

352 pages.

Overall Rating:

ting tired of the nomadic life of a

ranger and finds the job no longer

fulfilling or satisfying.

Between Thea's past and Jackson's

investigation, new character

introductions and an abundance of

romance, there is plenty of plot to

Finding Lady Enderly

(Revell, 2019)

By Joanna Davidson Politano

395 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 1

classic novels from Bronte, Austen,

and Dickens is a surefire way to

a booklover’s heart. Add glances

across the room, glimpses of a

familiar face in a crowd, and a song

that will move your heart, and even

though we don’t see too much of

his side of the romance, we don’t

really need to. Raina shows us his

love in every moment together.

The ending has several unexpected

The Bridge to Belle

Island

(Bethany House Publishers,

2019)

By Julie Klassen

397 pages.

Overall rating:

Heat Level: 1

digging,they find there are quite a

few people who would benefit from

Percival's death.

The author has created a very atmospheric

story that brings the era

and setting to life. It is always fun

to learn history from fiction rather

than dry history books. This tale is

as much a historical mystery as a

romance. My only criticism is the

heroine's fear of leaving the island

Heat Level: 1

A Tender Hope final (and third)

book in the Cimarron Creek Series

by Amanda Cabot. I suggest reading

the first two books A Stolen

Heart (Book 1) and A Borrowed

Dream (Book 2) as there are characters

and storylines from previous

books.This book can be read as a

stand-alone but readers will get

keep the story flowing. Ultimately,

Jackson and Thea have to decide if

they want to take a chance on love

and have a family together.

Ms. Cabot does a splendid job in

the characterization as both the

primary characters and secondary

characters all have thorough

backstories and are believable. The

characters are richly developed

with plenty of flaws and troubles,

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Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Inspirational

and have had a lot of heartaches and

misunderstandings which makes them

very realistic and relatable to us readers.

For me the constant desire to be with

each other's company, the always-honest

conversations, the mutual respect,

the belief in other capabilities and support

for each other's cares was a bit over

the top as it really seemed too good to

be true. But then again, what romance

novel hasn't portrayed such things?

This is a chaste romance with wholesome

characters and a plot that keeps

you intrigued until the last page. There

are also sensitive issues of betrayal,

unplanned pregnancies, adoption and

abuse that are introduced in the book

but not explored in depth. If you don't

like reading Christian romances this

may not be the book for you as it isn't

edgy, gritty or erotic.

Personally I found this story could have

been a novella instead of a novel but

enough to be a casual read on a good

rainy, lazy Saturday afternoon.

Invitation to a

Cornish Christmas

(Harlequin Historical,

2019)

By Marguerite Kaye and

Bronwyn Scott

369 pages.

Overall Rating:

Heat Level: 4

tives to Christmastime romance in

the seaside town of Porth Karrek.

Kaye’s “The Captain’s Christmas

Proposal” and Scott’s “Unwrapping

His Festive Temptation” have a gift

to offer everyone – historical details

for the ‘OG’ Regency readers,

and modern philosophies for the

sexy generation.

“The Captain’s Christmas Proposal”,

by Marguerite Kaye, features

two outcasts whose friendship

blossoms into a red-hot poinsettia

of passion. Captain Treeve

Penhaligon has arrived in Porth

Karrek as the unwanted inheritor

of his brother’s estate. Emily

Faulkner lives in a nearby cottage

and is keeping her own scandalous

secret. The two bond over beach

walking and their mutual belief in

sexual freedom for women – both

of which I find puzzling, especially

as I can’t imagine Regency couples

walking barefoot in the sand on

their first meeting. But there was

sweetness, surprise, intercourse…

And I learned quite a bit about

reluctant friendship, sudden and

searing sensuality. It’s all there

in the recipe, and Scott bakes till

it’s done! Cade Kitto could make

any woman feel warm and gooey

inside, so warm and gooey that

you can forgive the modernity of

his relationship with the blushfree

Rosenwyn. And let’s not

forget the man’s devastating and,

yes, festive back story. Because

who doesn’t love a man with

traumatizing Christmas memories?

While some details from this

Christmas two-pack strike us

as quite modern, we can safely

say this: Invitation to a Cornish

Christmas is cleverly devised,

full of heat, and ready to impart

a profound feeling of hope.

Review provided by Ash V.

Anthologies

Review provided by Kathryn Redmond

What’s better than a small Cornish

town inhabited by a hot

man? A small Cornish town

inhabited by two hot men, at

Christmastime.

Welcome to Harlequin’s

quaintly sexy Invitation to a

Cornish Christmas, a holiday

double header that is both

seasonal and sensual. In this

collection, Marguerite Kaye

and Bronwyn Scott lend their

individually unique perspec-

Cornish Christmas traditions!

Next comes “Unwrapping His Festive

Temptation”! (Quite undeniably

the best title ever. I’m not sure

how, but even this man’s temptation

is festive.) Bronwyn Scott’s tale

really packs a Christmas punch.

Cade Kitto, composer and formerly

forlorn child, is the perfect counterpart

for the feisty yet tender

Rosenwyn Trelevan. While the two

comprise a Christmas cantata, their

relationship follows our favorite

romance rules: conflict at the onset,

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A Regency Valentine's

Day in the Kitchen

"From Scratch" with

Deb Marlowe

Many people know that St. Valentine’s

Day dates back to Roman times and the story

of poor St. Valentine, who was put to death for

defying the Emperor Claudius and performing

banned marriages. The holiday continued to

be honored through the Middle Ages, with their

concept of courtly love and took on a number

of superstitions throughout the ages, including

the belief mentioned by Shakespeare, that a girl

would marry the first man she glimpsed on the

day, and within the year.

Valentine’s Day really took off in the

Victorian era, with the industrialization and

mass production of cards, but it was also wildly

popular before that- in the Regency Era. They

celebrated the holiday through every strata of

society, with swains and lovers from the servant

to the merchant class, to cits and into the Beau

Monde. It was a popular day to be married, but

it was also a day to write or create a token of

your love and send it to your sweetheart.

In part, it was because of the rise and

continued organization of the post office. In

Hone’s Every Day Book, the author says:

“Two hundred thousand letters beyond the

usual daily average, annually pass through the

twopenny post-office in London on St. Valentine's

Day.”

And the Morning Post, wrote on February 15, 1815:

Yesterday being Valentine’s day, the whole artillery of

love was put into requisition. The Postmen were convert-

ed into Cupids, and instead of letters upon business,

carried epistles full of flames, darts, chains,

and amorous declarations.

There were special papers marketed for the creation

of love letters and tokens. And if you were

not of a lyrical persuasion yourself, you could buy a

pamphlet full of romantic verses and sonnets, witty

poems and amorous messages to help you find your

way.

But in this age, as with any other, I think

that there must have been those who showed their

love with the gift of a special meal, dessert or sweet

treat. No, there were no heart shaped boxes of

chocolate candies. Chocolate was still largely confined

to a drink during the Regency, but there were

other sweet treats available to be bought or made.

Marzipan (Marchpane in older terms)

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candies were widely available and also likely made

in some bigger kitchens. A simple sweet, they were

created by blanching a couple pounds of almonds,

skinning them, grinding them in a mortar, then

sifting in sugar and a binding agent. There were

various options for these, including rose water, egg,

lemon juice or liquor. They could be served in their

original, creamy color or sometimes dyed. They

would have had to use natural food dyes to color

their candies, of course, since the first synthetic

food dye was not invented until 1856, but saffron,

berries, beets, tumeric and other foods could be

used to tint them.

Today you can buy marzipan already prepared,

but the homemade version is much tastier

and also more economical. Some recipes, especially

older ones, use egg but do not cook the mixture. I

don’t recommend that. If you’d like to whip something

up for your Valentine, this recipe is simple

and uses almond flour instead of home-ground

almonds. Give it a try and use a bit of simple food

coloring to create some sweet shapes for your

sweetheart!

Recipes

Marzipan Candies

Ingredients

2 cups (6 ounces) almond flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting work surface

Directions

-In a saucepan, gently heat sugar and water over

medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.

Stop stirring and bring to a boil. Increase

the heat to medium-high and boil until the syrup

reaches 238ºF (116ºC) on a candy thermometer.

-Remove the pan from heat and gently stir until

the syrup begins to grow faintly cloudy with graining.

Stir in the ground almonds. Add lightly beaten

egg white and return to low heat, cook gently for a

minute or two until the marzipan firms up slightly.

Remove from heat and add almond extract (or rose

water, liquor or other flavorings, if you wish).

-Place marzipan onto a smooth work surface

dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Let the mixture

sit until it is cool enough to handle. Knead until

smooth. Add in a few tablespoons of confectioner’s

sugar if the mixture is too sticky. Knead in color

and flavor while still warm.

-Shape into hearts, roses, fruits or other Valentine

shapes.

You can store the marzipan and finished candies

refrigerated in an airtight container or ziptop bag,

for up to 1 month. You can freeze them for up to 6

months.

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Cranberry and

Wine Poached

Pears

Ingredients

2 cups dry red wine

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Another nice recipe you might wish to make

for your sweetie is Cranberry and Wine Poached

Pears. Pears grow in the UK—and though you

might associate cranberries with New England,

they also grew in the moors of Yorkshire and in the

fens in the northeast of England, before they were

drained in the 1820s. In fact, according to George

Walker in 1814:

Cranberries grown in the North of England were

smaller than those imported from America or Russia,

but the flavor in the imports is much inferior.

All of the ingredients for this recipe would

have been available in the Regency, though perhaps

expensive in February, and the recipe is uncomplicated.

Give it a try! You can watch me prepare this

one in Deb Marlowe’s Regency Kitchen at DebMarlowe.com

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)

1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

4 medium Bosc pears

Directions

-In a large saucepan, bring the first seven ingredients

to a boil; add cranberries. Reduce heat;

simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.

-Meanwhile, core pears from bottom. Leave stem

intact—for aesthetics. :-) Peel pears. Add to pan,

in a single layer on their sides. Simmer, uncovered,

until pears are almost tender, about 10 minutes

longer, turning occasionally. Remove from heat; let

stand 10 minutes.

-Drain pears; reserving poaching liquid and cranberries.

Make sure you remove the peppercorns at

this point, because the pear flesh is tender and they

can embed themselves right in there. :-)

- Place pears on dessert plates; drizzle with reserved

poaching liquid and serve.

I hope you and your Valentine enjoy!

Deb Marlowe loves to read,

write, bake and geek out with her family.

You can find information on her Regency

historical romances and see her totally

amateur, untrained, history-tidbit-laden

videos of her making historic recipes at her

website: www.DebMarlowe.com

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The Romance Found in

Beautiful Music

By Michelle De Bruin

In this season when we celebrate love

and romance, the expression that goes beyond

words and communicates our depth of feeling is

found in music. Emotion, passion, and longing

sing out from a phrase of music with delicate

dynamics in a lyrical melody rippled from a

piano or in the full and moving harmonies of a

symphony.

History of Romantic Music

An entire era of music from the early

19th century exists that helps us express depths of

emotion. It is the Romantic era, which lasted from

1800 to 1850. The music, literature, and art created

during this time in Europe are classified as romantic

because of its ability to express vivid feelings

and intense passion.

Romantic music was written during a time

of an expanding middle class. Power was shifting

away from the nobility and into the hands of those

who had opportunity to grow their wealth separate

from and independent of monarchies and aristoc-

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health. Weakened by the use of alcohol and nar-

until he died in 1849 at the age of 39.

cotics, he contracted syphilis in 1823. He had a

Chopin was a prolific composer. All of his

brief reprieve from his struggle with disease a few

works included the piano, either as the feature

racies. This meant that the value of the individual

gained increased respect. These themes of individualism

came through the music in the forms of

idealism, freedom, hero worship, longing, and a

striving for the unattainable.

The Composers of the Romantic Era

years later, but continued to struggle with depression

and a lack of desire to take care of himself. He

continued to compose and perform in public but

eventually succumbed to his illness and died in

1828 at the age of 31.

Schubert composed hundreds of works in

instrument in a concerto performance, or as the

solo performer in his numerous nocturnes, waltzes,

ballads, preludes, and impromptus. Chopin’s works

embodies the Romantic era well because of its sections

of spontaneous cadenzas, the use of chording

to convey feeling, and the delicacy with which the

Characteristics of Romantic Music

The previous era of music, known as the

Classical era, used greater restraint in the expression

of emotion. Dynamics were less extreme. The

use of improvisation was more controlled. During

the Romantic era, these standards grew a bit more

flexible allowing for less balance and more exaggeration.

Harmonies incorporated a greater use of

dissonance in the intervals of the chords. Music

from the Classical era employed clearer and more

defined tones in the make-up of harmonies. Romantic

music enjoyed sounds that were sharper,

creating tension and lasting longer before reaching

a resolution.

The use of minor keys increased in the

Romantic era, giving compositions a haunting tone

of foreboding, mystery, and in some sections of

music, even despair.

Franz Schubert is one of the earliest composers

of Romantic music. He lived from 1727 to

1828 in Vienna. At the age of eleven, he joined the

choir of the Court Chapel. In addition to singing, he

played the violin and piano, and studied composition.

He became an elementary school teacher and

composed music in his spare time. His creations

include choral music, chamber music, and works

for symphony.

By 1818, he quit teaching school to work as

an independent, professional musician. Starting in

1821, his compositions began to get published.

The dark side of Shubert’s career was his

his brief career. Among them are Symphony No. 9

in C Major, Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (The Shepherd

on the Rock), String Quintet in C Major, Erlkonig,

Ganymed, and Nahe des Geliebten.

Fryderyk Chopin is another well-known and

loved composer from the Romantic era. He lived

in Poland as a child prodigy, playing the piano and

composing music from a very early age. Improvisation

soon became obvious as one of his strengths.

Like Schubert, he too, was a teacher. In his spare

time, he wrote and published works for the piano.

According to the novelist, Aurore Dudevant,

with whom he had a nine-year affair, his creative

process included the ecstasy that came with spontaneous,

satisfying creativity followed by despair

and frustration when he could not remember a

phrase he made up and therefore was unable to

write it down. He’d spend days pacing, crying,

breaking things, and playing a string of notes

over and over again until remembering the initial

piano solos are written.

His compositions include Nocturne in Eb

Major, Opus 9, No. 2; Nocturne in F minor, Opus

55, No. 1; Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor, Opus 11;

and Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor Opus 21.

These two composers lived rather tragic

lives because of their health problems and died at

young ages. Their personal struggles and triumphs

informed their creation of music. The griefs and

joys, passions and longings of their lives shine

through their compositions. Schubert and Chopin,

among the other composers of the early 19th century,

have given us beautiful and timeless expressions

of romance that thrill us, inspire us, and help

us to celebrate love.

phrase he’d created. Then he would write it down

and continue his work, interspersed

with these passionate episodes, until he

had a piece of music completed.

Chopin suffered from tuberculosis

and although he continued to compose

and perform, his health declined

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Michelle De Bruin

I live in Iowa and enjoy writing historical

romance about people who live in rural communities.

When I’m not writing, I can be found

leading worship on Sunday mornings or offering

spiritual services for an organization that provides

services for people with mental and physical

disabilities. I also enjoy spending time with

my husband and two teenage sons.

A romantic at heart, I’m always looking for

glimpses of God’s love through the window of a

good story.

A Warrior’s Heart

BY ROSE VANE

Wallachia, 1461

It was early morning when the Impaler’s men

came to take her father away. They met no opposition

upon their arrival. The manor’s gates had been left wide

open for them. It was best, Sorana’s father had decreed.

If anyone dared to stand against the prince’s men, then

they would meet an untimely end. It was well known

that the Impaler’s men showed no mercy.

“No need for all of you to suffer on my account,” Sorana’s

father said softly, fastening his cloak with steady

fingers.

Sorana stared wide-eyed at the scene unfurling in front

of her. There were no words. Her father just descended

to meet the feral-looking men that were waiting at the

foot of the stairs, their hands placed on the hilt of their

swords. A brief look of understanding passed between

him and his captors. He surrendered his own sword,

a battle-worn one, which had been in their family for

generations.

“Let us go,” the man in charge called to the others, while

they began to lead her father away.

Away from his home… Sorana knew too well where they

were taking him. They were taking him to his death.

“Wait!”

The cry came out of her lips against all warnings. It

reverberated in the silence of the courtyard, where all

the members of their household had gathered, mute and

powerless against the prince’s rule.

There had been just one voice raised, yet the party of

men halted. Their leader half turned to look at the one

who’d dared to cry in defiance. The cold, assessing look

he cast her did not make Sorana lower her eyes. How-

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ever, the way her father glanced at her made her

father uttered, plain pleading now in his voice.

the example of their dour captain. So Sorana just

“Who’s this? His wife?” the prince cast

take a deep, laboured breath.

“Captain, we should go now!”

willed herself to follow, dropping with exhaustion

with a frown, while everyone assembled held their

“Daughter! Be silent!” her father said sharply, in

“I’m coming. Whether you wish to take me or not,

every time the captain called for a brief rest. She

breaths.

the commanding voice he used whenever he was

I’m following. I’ll speak to Vlad. It is my right,”

ate when she was gruffly told to do so, and slept

“His daughter,” the woman said, and there

displeased with her.

Sorana said, knowing her voice had now risen to a

whenever the chance arose. Mostly, she rode, grit-

was only a faint tremble in her voice as she spoke.

He expected her to obey. He’d told her that his

shout.

ting her teeth against the ache and exhaustion that

Dragomir felt like shaking her for her fool-

fate was already sealed. The prince would execute

She waited in the deep silence that descended.

were threatening to take their toll.

ishness. Brave – he’d known that ever since he’d

him for speaking in defence of the traitors’ fami-

There were only two courses left. Vlad’s men would

set eyes on her. Brave, but foolish. Vlad might take

lies. But he might be merciful with the rest of his

either kill her now, or allow her to come along. The

The court room was filled with hushed si-

her life for as much as speaking out of turn. Before

household. He might spare his daughter and the

tall captain’s green eyes bore into her, as if he was

lence as Vlad Draculea strode in, his predatory eyes

he could think, Dragomir’s hand shot to the hilt of

people left behind.

weighing whether her life was worth his trouble.

taking in the assembly. Dragomir had no doubt

his sword. The prince widened his eyes, watched

“I…” Sorana knew she would be disobeying her

He only spoke after what seemed like an eternity.

blood would be spilled today. The prince was of a

him intently for a moment, and then laughed. His

father’s decision. “I wish to come with you,” she

“If that is your wish, my lady, I cannot stop you.

mind to punish each and every one of those who’d

booming laugh echoed in the silent room, while

added, speaking loud and attempting to keep her

But be sure to know we won’t slow down for you to

plotted against him. Vlad was well known for his

everyone stared in anticipation.

voice from trembling.

follow. We ride hard. And we’ll not care if you fall

terrible punishments. He was not called the Im-

Dragomir hung his head, tasting bitterness

“She doesn’t know what she’s saying. Just foolish

behind.”

paler in vain. Biting his lower lip, Dragomir strove

in his mouth. The prince knew him too well. They’d

talk. The foolish talk of a child,” her father said,

Sorana nodded in relief, skipping the steps as she

not to look at the young woman who stood on his

known each other since they were children, before

and for the first time in her life, Sorana thought

hurried to follow the men who’d now started to

right, her thick chestnut braid in disarray and her

pain and loss had hardened Vlad’s soul. Vlad knew

to hear pleading in his voice.

walk briskly towards the stables. She gathered her

face streaked with road dust. He had not believed

too well what Dragomir’s gesture had meant. His

“This one’s no child. She’s a grown woman,” the

cloak around her, thanking Heaven it was mid-

she would make the journey, and part of him had

captain hadn’t reached for his sword in order to

man in charge countered, with a measuring look

May, and their journey would be less arduous to

hoped she would give up and return to her home.

punish the woman. He’d reached for it in order to

in his hard green eyes.

make. Vlad now held court in Bucharest, which was

Yet it was her right to plead for her father’s life,

defend her. In order to defend her against his own

“I…I wish to come along and speak to the prince.

only a two-day ride ahead. She strove to disregard

a right he could not deny. Even if he knew Vlad

prince.

Plead with Vlad. Plead for my father’s life. Beg

her father’s silent, simmering anger, as she began

might decide to sentence her to the same fate as

“What is she called?” the prince now asked

that he show him mercy,” Sorana spoke quickly,

to ready her mount. No stable boy had dared to

her father.

in an amused voice, speaking to Dragomir.

clinging hard to her resolve.

offer assistance, since their lord had forbidden any-

They had to wait long until Vlad deigned

Dragomir shrugged, his eyes still down-

The look her father cast her was thunderous.

one to do so. But Sorana was well used to readying

to look upon them. There were other, more press-

cast. He would probably die for this woman, yet he

Hadn’t he made the same mistake of asking for

her own mount. She often did so when she went for

ing matters for the prince to settle. Dragomir

hadn’t even bothered to ask for her name.

the prince’s mercy? Hadn’t he demanded that

her rides in the hills.

attempted to take his mind away from what was

“Sorana. I am called Sorana and I have

Vlad spare at least the families of those who’d

She was soon to find out that the captain had been

passing, away from punishments and despair.

come to beg you to spare my father’s life. Your men

betrayed him? And wasn’t he now going to meet

true to his word. His men did ride hard, at a pun-

Soon, he would be free. He willed himself to think

who brought him here have already cast him in the

his doom? Sorana squared her shoulders. So be

ishing pace. They seemed tireless. Perhaps the

upon green hills and pastures, upon a simple home

dungeons, but he is no traitor, my lord. His only

it. She had no choice but try to save her father’s

stories about them were true. Maybe they’d been

and a small piece of land that he hoped to hold

crime is to have spoken for the families you sen-

life. If the prince decided to have her killed for it,

to the Otherworld and back, and now they were

one day. He had performed his last assignment for

tenced to death!”

she would face her death. There was no turning

fiercer and stronger than mere mortals. Sorana

the prince and he would be free to go. Free to lead

Brave words that, Dragomir knew, would

back from this, and she knew it.

tried not to dwell upon this thought too much. She

his life as he wanted. Vlad had promised him. And

have been once able to sway Vlad. But Vlad was no

The warrior in charge now spun to face her fully.

just attempted to keep up. And she tried to disre-

Vlad always kept his word.

longer the man he’d been. The valiant warrior on

In the grey morning light, Sorana perceived a

gard her father’s dark silence. She knew too well

“So,” the prince said in a melodious voice,

whose side Dragomir had fought had turned into a

long white scar slashing his cheek from his eye to

she’d disobeyed him. She only prayed she hadn’t

very much at odds with his stark appearance.

ruthless ruler, ready to protect his reign at all costs.

his chin. His voice was flinty as he spoke.

disobeyed him for the last time.

“You’ve brought Boyar Negrea as I commanded.”

“Nevertheless Boyar Negrea has defied me,”

“Be careful what you ask for, my lady. If you de-

She had come braced against disdain from the

Dragomir nodded, then watched as Vlad’s

Vlad said softly. “Those who defy me deserve to

cide to come with us, you may never return.”

prince’s men. Even braced against humiliation and

predatory eyes settled on the boyar’s daughter.

die,” he added in even softer tones, now glancing

“She doesn’t know what she’s saying!” Sorana’s

pain. Yet the men held their distance, following

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pointedly at Dragomir.

to glance at the man who would be her husband,

The captain only shrugged, seemingly un-

She was not for him. They might have been bound

Dragomir decided to meet the prince’s eyes.

only when the dark-robed priest put the wedding

concerned by her effrontery.

to one another in church, but that didn’t change

His fate, whatever it might be, was already settled.

crowns on both their heads. The crowns were

“Blood and battle have made all of us

things.

He could and would not undo what he’d done. He’d

meant to recall Christ’s martyrdom. They were

cruel,” he said tersely.

“We leave early on the morrow. To get back

been loyal to Vlad, because the prince had vowed

meant to make the newlyweds aware that a true

He started to walk ahead, and she had no

to your home,” he said.

to free their land from the Ottoman yoke. He now

marriage involves sacrifice on both sides. Sorana

choice but follow. The city of Bucharest was still

She nodded, a bitter smile on her face.

met Vlad’s eyes squarely, the same eyes he’d met

bit back a bitter smile, telling herself she would

busy, even at this late hour, and she found she

Dragomir wondered what she would look like when

without flinching when they were both battling

soon have occasion to see how much of a sacrifice

could not have known where to go or how to handle

she truly smiled. He gave an inward curse, know-

against those who sought to enslave their people.

this marriage would be. She was, after all, marrying

herself here. She struggled to fall into step with

ing he was being foolish. He should not care for it.

And for a moment Vlad looked very much like the

one of the Impaler’s men. A man who might turn

him, keenly feeling that his strides were longer

Such thoughts were not for people like him.

man he’d been then.

out to be as fierce and ruthless as his master.

than hers.

“My home…” Sorana spoke, looking him

“For you, brother,” he said in a whisper that

There would be no wedding feast and no

“Captain…” she started, but he cut what

defiantly in the eyes. “No longer my home. Yours

was barely audible. “For how we used to be. For

farewell from her father. She’d been already told

she’d meant to say.

now. The prince made you a gift of it. Just as he

how we used to be once, when you saved my life.”

by the women who’d readied her that she was to

“My given name is Dragomir.”

made you a gift of me.”

He then swiftly turned his back on Drag-

ask no questions. She was to follow the man she’d

“Dragomir…Where are you taking me?” she

Brave words, from a woman who’d just

omir and the woman who’d asked him to spare her

married as soon as she was wed. The prince’s wrath

asked.

been placed at the mercy of a warrior. He sup-

father’s life. He addressed the assembly in his regal

was easily stirred. And it would not be wise to incur

“There’s an inn, not far from here. We both

pressed a smile, knowing he’d expected no less.

voice.

any more of it. Not when the prince had decided

need rest. So that’s where I’m taking you,” he re-

He’d perceived her courage from the moment he’d

“We’ve decided that, for his defiance, Boyar

to spare their lives. Still, as Sorana walked by her

plied.

set eyes on her. A valiant woman. One who’d never

Negrea shall take the black and join the monastery

husband’s side, leaving behind the incense-filled

desert her own in the hour of need.

in Tismana. As for his lands and daughter…they

church where they’d received the blessings, she

Dragomir had never felt so weary. When

“Not my home,” he told her flatly. “Not

shall from henceforth belong to Dragomir Costin,

could not help but ask, still anxious for her father’s

they were finally in the chamber he’d let at the inn,

mine by rights. So I’ll have none of it. And…I’ll

he who’s been my loyal servant for so many years.”

true fate.

he was ready to sink into sleep. Yet he was as fam-

have none of you.”

“Captain…My father…”

ished as he was weary. He was thankful when the

He felt surprised how much it hurt when he

Relief and grief flooded Sorana at the same

“He’ll live. The prince may be harsh, but he

meal he’d asked for was readied and brought to the

uttered these last words. And at that moment he

time. She was relieved that her father would live.

never goes back on his word.”

chamber. Then he became aware he was sharing

understood what he’d been trying in vain to con-

She grieved that he would have to leave his lands

Green eyes met hers, steadily, as he spoke.

it with the woman he’d unwillingly wed. He also

ceal from himself. He’d wanted her from the very

and household. For a man as proud as her father,

They did not seem as cold as the first time she’d

became aware that she lacked in appetite, though

first moment he’d seen her, there on the porch of

the humble livelihood of a monk would be dire

encountered them. Yet they were the eyes of a

he knew she must be every bit as hungry as he was.

her manor.

punishment. Yet he would live. As for her own fate

stranger. A stranger who’d come to take her father

“You should eat something,” he told her

She looked at him with widened eyes.

– she found that, for now, she did not know what

away from his home.

gruffly, not knowing what else to say.

“I don’t understand…”

to think.

“The prince is cruel,” she said softly, and

He’d come to see that she forgot to eat when

He laughed harshly, knowing that she was

All that occurred after the Impaler had passed his

glanced at her new husband in defiance.

she felt tired. He’d had occasion to perceive that on

now his by the laws of the church and of this land.

sentence went on in a sort of daze. She did not

Sooner or later she would have to learn if his hand

their journey here. So he’d always made sure to put

He pictured himself taking her in his arms and

fight against the hands of the serving women who

was quick to strike when he was displeased. So

food in front of her and order her to feed herself.

kissing her deeply, to sate that longing that burnt

led her away to help clean her body and change

she’d rather find out now. This man had been put

She shrugged, but nevertheless minded

fierce inside him. And he pictured himself doing

her garments. And she did not struggle or voice

in charge of her lands and of her people. She would

what he’d said, biting into one of the pastries the

much more than that. Yet, he knew too well, she

her defiance when she was brought for the mar-

have to learn what his ways were in order to better

innkeeper’s wife had provided. He watched her

was not his by rights. High-born people might

riage ceremony. A ceremony that the prince had

protect them and herself from him.

eat, hoping she was too tired to perceive his gaze.

make a mockery of marriage and enter a union just

decreed should take place without delay. She dared

He’d often watched her during their journey. He’d

for the sake of making a profitable alliance. But he

watched her like a man who has been thirsty all

was not high-born. In his world, women and men

his life, and longs for a drink of clear, pure water.

entwined their destinies when they surrendered

But, as he’d known then, he knew it too well now.

their hearts.

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“Don’t flatter yourself, my lady. Not every

less armies, or be taken slaves of the Empire that

“May he live long and reign long! Our sav-

into a safe place. And she perceived that her hand

man in this world is swayed by the lure of rich

had always coveted this land.

iour! He who’s bound to deliver us from the Otto-

was still linked with that of Dragomir. His was a

lands and of a luscious warm body,” he said, mean-

“One has no choice but fight…Homes burnt,

man scourge for all times!” one elderly guest said

strong, battle-callused hand, which felt warm to

ing to wound her.

maidens enslaved in harems, mere boys forced to

reverently.

the touch. His eyes, when she glanced up at him

It was best this way. She did not want

become part of the Ottoman army…” she muttered

Sorana had no choice but to take a sip from

were not at all hard, but full of heat. Blushing, she

him. How could anyone want a man so hardened

bitterly, knowing too well that the days of battle

her own cup of wine, following the others’ example.

disentangled herself from him, going to sit on one

and bloodied by battle? So wearied by the war

against the mighty Empire were not truly gone.

She however soon went to a place aside, tasting

of the wooden benches.

he’d waged? She could never want him. And she

Dragomir did not answer. He stood alert,

sheer bitterness in her mouth.

It was only much later, when they were

was fully entitled to despise him for the part he’d

and Sorana came to perceive that he was listening

“They love him…The common folk love

back on the road that was taking them to her home,

played in her father’s capture.

intently to the sounds that were coming from the

him…” she said to Dragomir who came to sit by her

that she dared speak to him.

“I’ll stay your husband in name only. My

village they were passing by. She also listened in,

side.

“The prince…Vlad…It was for your sake

name shall keep you protected against the prince’s

faintly beginning to discern a jaunty tune of zither

“They do,” he answered tersely, but the look

that he spared my father and I,” she said, now fully

wrath. But I’ll have none of what’s yours,” he said,

and panpipes.

in his green eyes softened as he did so.

recalling what she’d refused to see in the past few

placing his hand on the doorknob.

“A wedding?” she asked.

And Sorana suddenly recalled the brief ex-

days.

He let himself out, without sparing a glance

“Perchance…” Dragomir nodded.

change she’d seen at court between the prince and

She let unfold in her mind all those mo-

at her. He knew it was dangerous to look upon

As they drew nearer, the music became

her new husband, one that, in her frantic mood,

ments during their journey to Bucharest, which

Sorana. It was too tempting to picture her as being

louder and merrier, and suddenly Sorana felt like

she’d been unable to understand at the time.

she had not allowed herself to dwell upon. The way

truly his. He supposed he’d already surrendered his

weeping. She hadn’t cried when they’d taken her

“You also do,” she said softly.

Dragomir had urged her to take food when she’d

heart to her. Something he’d never believed would

father away. She hadn’t shed a tear when she’d

“I did once…Perchance a part of me still

forgotten how to do so. The way his eyes had often

happen to him. It astonished him to think that he

been told she would part from him forever. And

loves him. For the way he stood up for the defence-

rested upon her. Green eyes. Not hard at those

still had a heart.

she’d not allowed herself to grieve upon her own

less… For the land he’s trying to free…But not for

times. But warm. Truly warm.

wedding. She took a deep breath now, attempting

what he’s become.”

“There’s naught to thank me for. I did noth-

Sorana looked in puzzlement upon the tall

to gulp back tears.

“At court…That whisper…I thought I hadn’t

ing,” Dragomir said gruffly.

man who was riding by her side. He’d spent last

“A rest perhaps…” she said hastily, knowing

heard aright…He called you brother…”

“You did allow me to come and speak to my

night sleeping outside the door of the chamber he

she would need some moments to collect herself.

Dragomir gave a half-smile.

father’s defence…” she countered.

could have shared with her. And this morning he

Dragomir nodded.

“My mother was his milk mother…My

“That was foolish of me. Just as foolish as

was silently escorting her back to her home. She

“I reckon they’ll be able to spare food and

father…I was never told who he was…Just heard

it was of you to attempt it. In truth I did not think

looked upon him with a frown on her face, not car-

drink for weary travellers at the feast they’re hav-

rumours…But it doesn’t matter much to me. I’m

you’d be able to keep up.”

ing that he would see her watching. Flinty green

ing,” he said.

common-born. No lord. And that is that.”

“But I was, even with the mad pace you

eyes– she’d well perceived those already. But what

Sorana opened her mouth to tell him she

Silence fell between them, at last broken by

set!” Sorana countered, feeling no small measure of

she hadn’t truly perceived was that he was younger

wanted no part of the merrymaking, but thought

the bride’s mother who came bearing a full cup in

pride.

than she’d thought at first. She supposed that, if he

better on it. It was, after all, just the same. Her wal-

her hand, and asked them to dance at her daugh-

“You did. You are a fair rider,” he conceded

strove not to always look so grim and fierce, some

lowing in grief would serve to nothing. Others were

ter’s wedding. Sorana rose awkwardly, knowing

with a sigh. “A fair rider for one who’s manor

would call him fair. Fair even in spite of the white

entitled to their joy. Joy was so hard to come by in

they could not refuse the invitation. It was ill-luck

born…”

scar slashing the left side of his cheek.

this land, where sorrow could strike without warn-

for the bride and groom if a guest didn’t dance at

“Too fair a rider for a lady, according to my

“How long have you been a soldier?” she

ing.

their wedding, and she didn’t want to offend the

father,” Sorana muttered, recalling her father with

asked.

When they reached the place of the feast,

kind hosts who had welcomed them.

a pang of regret. “I was not a very good daughter to

He shrugged.

Sorana saw that it was indeed a wedding. And

They both joined the hora, linking hands

him, you see. He’d rather I was tamer – he would

“Some years, I reckon. Fought my first

she did not have it in her heart to feel envious of

with the rest of the guests, and letting themselves

have been happier if I’d spent most of my time in-

battle when I was thirteen.”

the young bride and groom who welcomed them

guided by the merry tune. At the end of the dance,

doors doing embroidery and poring over my prayer

Sorana nodded. Most of the men in the land

readily. There was dancing and drinking, and the

Sorana felt breathless and light on her feet, as if a

book.”

had become warriors in their green years. They had

wedding guests started to raise their cups to Prince

weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As if the

Dragomir gave an incredulous laugh.

little choice. Either fight against the Sultan’s ruth-

Vlad’s health.

fickle, cruel world they lived in had truly turned

“Why?! What good are embroidery and

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prayer books when danger looms at your door?

Ours is a harsh land. I’d rather have a woman who

would stand by my side than one who would cower

indoors.”

He quickly fell silent, as if regretting what

he’d just uttered.

“We should make haste. If we do, we should

be able to reach the inn I have in mind before

dusk.”

Sorana nodded, and for the next few hours

didn’t break the deep silence that fell between

them. Instead, she watched him, this man she’d

married, just as intently as she now recalled he’d

watched her during those frantic days of their first

journey. If he was unnerved by her behaviour, he

did not show it. And, just like the night before, he

let her have the chamber at the inn all to herself,

while he kept guard at the door.

They made an early start on the morrow,

and, by midday, Sorana could already perceive her

home, silhouetted on the sunny green hills that

were so familiar.

“You said I was a fair rider for one who’s

manor born…” she called abruptly, deciding to halt

her horse, and forcing Dragomir to halt his. “Is that

why you won’t have me? Because I’m manor born?”

He shook his head silently.

“Why then?” Sorana pressed.

“You know too well why…” he countered.

She looked at him with a frown. There was

no denying the heat that now clung between them.

Nor the strange silent bond they’d shared ever

since they’d set eyes upon each other.

Dragomir must have seen the dismay on her face.

He spoke urgently.

“You only need the protection of my name.

Of someone loyal to the prince. And that you

already have. As for the rest…You’re staunchhearted.

You’re not one to stand idle when danger

threatens. You will always fight to defend yourself

and those you hold dear. You do not need me. Not

a man like me…”

He sat on his horse, his head hung, ready

to part from her. And Sorana supposed he’d spoken

true. Perhaps she did not need a warrior’s protection.

Perhaps she was strong enough to defend

herself and those under her care. She smiled at last,

recalling some of the tales that people whispered.

“You know what I’ve heard said,” she told

him. “Some say that Vlad Draculea’s warriors have

forsaken their human hearts in exchange for the

otherworldly power they wield against their enemies.

That they no longer have warm hearts to call

their own.”

“So they say,” he acquiesced in a defeated

voice.

Sorana shook her head. She then spoke

steadily:

“I do not believe it. Not I! Go if you like…

But I would have you stay. Stay with me! I know for

certain that when you hold me I’ll feel your warm

heart beating against mine.”

She spurred her horse, towards the home

that she was reaching at last. She dared not look

over her shoulder, but felt her own heart thumping

like mad. It was thumping so hard that at first it

seemed to muffle the sound of hooves behind her.

But then she heard it. Loud and clear. Following

her. Until they reached the gates of her home.

She spun to face Dragomir as soon as she

got off her horse, still afraid he might part from her

at the end of their journey. With relief, she perceived

he had dismounted. He was standing in front

of the gates. Unmoving.

Boldly, she stepped to close the distance

between them. And then she reached to trace the

contour of the dark eyelashes fringing his green

eyes. The gesture was meant to brush off the wary

look of indecision mirrored there.

His eyes became full of certainty when he

lifted her to him, to bestow a kiss on her lips. A

kiss that was shy and searching at first. But then

it became heated and full of urgency. It was only belatedly

that Sorana heard the rattling sound of the

gates opening behind them.

“Home at last…” she whispered against

Dragomir’s lips.

It was there. That fierce heartbeat

of his body pressed against hers when he

nodded.

ROSE VANE teaches historical

linguistics, and she has published several

academic works. She has a double degree

in English and French, and is interested

in everything historical, especially

in recreating the style and setting of

different eras. Currently, she writes historical/paranormal

romance. Thoughtprovoking

romance, which gives a new

meaning to old tropes, is what she loves.

Her works can be described as lush and

atmospheric, and are sometimes infused

with fantasy elements which rely on a

rich layer of folklore. Her first fiction

book, a Gothic romance set in nineteenth-century

Romania, was published

by Carina Press (Harlequin) in December

2017 (A Deep Dark Call, http://bit.

ly/2BGMc5q ). She has several manuscripts

in progress, which include medieval,

Victorian and fantasy romance.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

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A SPONSORED ARTICLE

Historical Romance

Journeys? By Linda de Sosa

you are reading your favorite Regency romance novel.

Suddenly, he is driving a phaeton. And then she is wearing a

spencer. Trifle is served for dinner and you feel lost. Of course,

the chemistry, characters, and storyline are important. However,

it is nice to understand and be able to picture the world the

author is creating without having those little nuisance questions

bubble up. And what the heck was the Regency anyway?

I will lead to explore all things Regency. We will go inside

a vaunted gentleman’s club, see houses and gardens, tour

Mayfair with a map from the Regency, explore fashion

and carriage museums, and visit a recreation of the pleasure

gardens.

I have created an appropriate email address of

ladylinda@travelXperts.com (no E in Experts) and

would love to hear from you so we can start exploring

together. I know that you can book some of these tours

and cruises on your own, but it costs no more to use me

and with my knowledge, resources, and past explorations,

I can certainly enhance your overall experience, including

reading suggestions. That is, if I don’t find Jamie first.

When regency romances first subsumed my life some 15

years ago, I dove into learning about the time period. And then

I expanded into Victorian. Next thing I knew, my house was

totally decorated in Victorian style with all new recreated furnishings.

Then, some of my favorite authors created Historical

Romance Retreat and I was dressing in costumes and learning

about my favorite time periods.

I have been a travel advisor for 25 years and one of the

areas I had always focused on was England. London is my favorite

city in the world - I could live there and visit several times

per year. Naturally, as my interest in Regency and Victorian

England developed, I started visiting sites where I could learn

about fashions and phaetons and architecture. I’ve seen them

all and after experiencing the enthusiasm of other readers and

authors, I realized that I should share those experiences in real

life and Historical Romance Journeys was born.

Historical Romance Journeys might be for you if:

You feel you were born in the wrong century.

You want to learn more about your favorite romance era.

You want to research a time period before writing your next or

first novel.

You want to travel back in time with other like-minded readers.

There are so many places to go. I’ve

recently visited Gretna Green and watched

a special wedding over the anvil and located

Napoleon’s birthplace on Corsica. I found

a wonderful medical museum in Leeds that

recreates street life so a visitor can understand

what St Giles was like. I’ve searched

out fashion displays and saw the ridiculously

wide court dresses they had to wear (pictured).

I also have assembled resources on

sites to visit to learn about knights, pirates,

Vikings, Scots, and Outlander. There are

tours and cruises out there on Outlander

and Vikings and even cruises with authors

like Diana Gabaldon.

Finally, Renee Bernard (author and

founder of HRR-Historical Romance Retreat)

and I are putting together a Historical

Romance Retreat-sponsored group tour that

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